As Time Goes By

B'bye TOI!

2006-10-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

There is a nice little site on the web called aldaily.com which is a treasury of news, information and other such things. I had been checking this website out on and off over the past few years. Under the newspapers section it used to list the Sleazy Times of India. I always wondered if TOI was worthy enough to be listed amongst The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

I didnt access the site in a long time now. Today out of sheer boredom I logged on. Hurray! Guess what? Sleazy TOI has been removed. The Hindu is now featured. And I am really happy about it!

Wonderful!

Manoj

In the U S of the A

2006-10-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Am in the US currently. The place that everybody wants to be in. But do I? More on that later.
Its been 2 weeks since i have been here. The client's place has been a very rewarding learning place. Full of really nice people.

Some observations:

1. If you dont own a car in the US, you are as good as incapacitated!
2. People seem to be friendly but really are not.
3. There really is dignity of labour. No job is lowly. Everything is job and work. I just love this.
4. News in America means somebody is kidnapped or is dead. God I am sick of the Breaking News here.

I have started recording some "Letter from Americas". For the uninitiated, Letter from America is the famous 15-minute radio broadcast that used to be hosted by Alistair Cooke on the BBC radio. I hope to post these LfA's online soon. So stay tuned.

The best thing about my visit to the US so far has been the fact that I bought a new laptop. I love it. I am yet to name this little beauty. Will do that soon.

More detailed posts to follow. So stay tuned.

Random Thoughts – 08/22/06

2006-08-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

George Bush is reported to have told yesterday that the war in Iraq is “mentally straining the psyche” of the American nation. Yeah well, anything for oil. Right Mr Bush?
The cruel war in Lebanon seems to be over. Images of innocent civilians uprooted from their familiar locations and young children in complete bewilderment have deeply affected me. What is the different between the terrorists and the good guys? Hamas used terror to threaten Israel and Israel has given it right back to Lebanon. So where is the difference? The only difference seems to be that the guy who strikes first is branded the terrorist. In that case the US should be considered a terrorist country as it invaded Iraq. Will anybody even bother doing this? Of course not! It’s the money stupid!
I seem to have lost my interest in Cricket. After the fabulous world cup football in Germany, I have become a football fan. If only ESPN was available for viewing in Chennai without that damn CAS, I would have been hooked onto the EPL by now. :(
AR Rahman still rocks! Sillunnu Oru Kaathal’s songs are amazing. New York Nagaram is just too good! Way to go Sir!
Mani Ratnam is slated to do two Hindi movies back to back. That means Tamil viewers have to wait for a really long time for a Ratnam special. I don’t like this :(

More thoughts as and when I feel they are worth penning down :)

Manoj

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehena

2006-08-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

*
(4 Stars being the highest)

Where do I begin to even reviewing this movie? Should I start by telling how poorly characters are etched? Or should I start by saying that the “acting” is getting too repetitive? Or should I conclude by asking my readers (Yeah right!) to stay as far as possible away from a movie theatre showing this movie?

Rani and Abhishek get married. Preity and Shah Rukh are already married and have a kid. Shah Rukh is a failed football star. Preity is a successful fashion magazine editor. Abhishek is a dashing PR executive and Rani is the silliest girl in town. By a supposed twist in the tale, Shah Rukh and Rani start having feelings and go all the way and consummate it in a hotel room, while poor Abhishek and Preity are singing “Where’s the party tonight?”. Kind of ironic! :)

I just looooooved Amitabh Bachchan’s character in the movie. I am sick and tired of seeing him play all these righteous roles. He seems to have really enjoyed this role and it shows. Abhishek Bachchan is dashing and is really likeable. I would actually go to the extent of saying that it is Rani who tortures Abhishek and not the other way round.

So Karan Johar wants to grow up and make movies on serious themes. Laudable effort, but should this be the way to start things?

All in all, a very disappointing movie. I wanted to see the movie for atleast Shah Rukh’s sake but even he is pathetic in the movie.

Verdict – Run, Just run away from the theatre.

Manoj

The DMK it is!

2006-05-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

We now finally know which way the Tamil Nadu cliffhanger went. The DMK has won the elections based on arithmetic, charisma and a loophole-less script. Here are some random ramblings:

NDTV.com got quite a few results wrong. The most obvious being the one related to Vijayakanth. Ndtv.com said that Vijayakanth had lost from Vriddhachalam whereas he won from there. I even have a snapshot of the result to prove ndtv’s blunder. What happened Mr. Roy?
We haven’t heard from Vaiko yet! I am really waiting for this guy to resurface and make his speeches. Let’s see which way he speaks now!
Read somewhere in sify.com that the film world was unhappy with the DMK’s vault to power. They had been rooting for the AIADMK. I wonder what Sarathkumar and Radhika are gonna do now.
CNN-IBN got most of the results right. Wonder how Rajdeep managed to come up with such brilliant predictions. And by the way, I have become an ardent follower of Rajdeep and read his blog regularly. Here it is:
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/author/1/rajdeepsardesai.html

Now starts the real test for the DMK. When will the color TVs be delivered and when will the landless get the land. It is going to be tough. Jaya TV will be waiting to pounce on the ineptness of the distribution or flaws in the television itself. This is bound to be interesting.

As for me, am I happy or sad with the results? I think I am happy. I have always supported the DMK and will continue to do so for some more time. That is till the Lok Paritran is able to create the necessary impact.

The "Free" Elections

2006-05-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Just couldn’t keep myself from not commenting about the circus that is getting played out in Tamil Nadu in the name of elections.

The most remarkable thing about this election has been the absence of any issue to drive public sympathy or outrage. Neither the AIADMK has been able to tarnish DMK nor has the DMK found enough reasons to create public uproar against the AIADMK.

Surprisingly though, the AIADMK’s and those who are joining that party’s wrath is being targeted at SUN TV. I guess nobody is able to digest the remarkable progress that Sun TV has had. Law-twisting or not, the Sun TV group is backed by solid mind power and business acumen. The whole opposition to Sun TV just cannot be considered to against DMK. DMK is not just Sun TV.

I think to start with it looked like the AIADMK was going to be sweeping these elections. But I am not so sure anymore. Somewhere along the line, the AIADMK’s image is getting hurt with a lot of foes turning into overnight friends. Sample this list:

Vaiko – This is the biggest joke of the year. He now calls Amma his “sister” and one new round of “Pasakkiligal” is being played out. But unfortunately this is going nowhere. Vaiko has spoken too many things against Amma just last year. I wonder how he sleeps peacefully at night.
Sarathkumar – he closely follows Vaiko as the second best joker of the year. To quit DMK just because he was sidelined in the party, smells of something. What does he think? That he will be able to shine in AIADMK? I predict that Sarath will quit AIADMK also very shortly.
Visu – His reasons for joining AIADMK are pure bilge. I am surprised that Amma even accepted him into her fold. He has got no political convictions. His decision was just driven by personal animosity with Sun TV and once that feeling passes, he is going to surely regret his actions.

The DMK on the other hand has not played the cinema-angle overtly. K Bhagyaraj has been campaigning with a lot of style for the DMK. I really love listening to his speeches. They are laced with naughty humour and biting criticisms.

So, which way will the tide go? I think as of now it is 50-50. And that means that Amma is losing, cos I thought that just a few weeks back, it was 80-20 loaded in favour of Amma.

With the promises of free TV, mobile phones and assorted nonsense, it is indeed turning out to be a real "free" election this time round!

One thing is for sure. Whichever party comes to power, Tamil Nadu is sure to lose.

- Manoj

I still dont know what I did last Summer!

2006-04-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

This heat in Chennai is really getting to my nerves now. I just hate the months of April and May. But there are actually a few things to look forward to in these months, like:

1. Drinking liters and liters of Pepsi. I am a total Pepsi fan. I just hate Coke. Pepsi is just amazing. My consumption pattern just increases tremendously in these 2 months. Just can’t do without Pepsi.
2. Ice creams. These are the two months that I can really freak out and have as many ice creams as possible. Somehow I catch the cold and fever when I eat them in November.
3. April 14th releases. Superstar movies normally releases only on April 14th.
4. All the colleges in Chennai are closed for summer holidays and hence the roads are not congested with all the college buses.

If you can think of any other summer specials please do share with me J

- Manoj

I am back!

2006-04-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am back.
Have been quite busy with a lot of things. Here are some updates first of all.

1. I have got work again! From this Monday onwards have been allocated to a project. That ends my freepool life.
2. Was busy with the preparations for the annual day of our vertical here. That went off pretty well.

Nothing much to report on the personal front. So let me jump into public life:

Sonia is not a Saint

I hate it when people keep telling Sonia made a sacrifice by resigning from all her posts. For God’s sake, she just did something which she would have been forced to do anyway.

Looks like it will be ADMK in Tamil Nadu

I hate to admit this. But I am getting the feeling that Amma might be romping back to victory in Tamil Nadu. Except for the usual grievances, I do not have any specific issue against her. This is in sharp contrast to her previous regime. Likewise I am getting suspect of the DMK. I have always been and will always remain a Kalaignar fan, but is that enough for me to vote for DMK every time? I don’t think so.

S Ve Shekar is contesting from Mylapore

This is one hell of a news. S Ve Shekhar is contesting from Mylapore on the ADMK ticket. Napolean is going to be his opponent contesting on the DMK ticket. I think this one is a foregone conclusion. S Ve Shekhar is going to win hands down. I just hope that he does a good job in the Assembly and for the constituency.

The importance of being Dhoni

I am starting to just love this man. He is doing things that are making all of us very proud. The way he can come in at a time of crisis and yet bat confidently is just fantastic. Way to go Dhoni!

Looking forward for the April 14 releases

I have exhausted all the movies currently running in Chennai. I am waiting with bated breath for new movies to be released. I think Thirupathi might just be the hit that Ajith is looking for. Parthipan’s Pachaikuthirai is of course going to concentrate on sleaze, but still will be worth seeing once. My favourite is however going to be the Cheran produce Azhagaai Irukkiraai Bayamaaga Irukkirathu. Good title!

Manoj
(PS. Resolution, I will blog more regularly from now on. Promise)

Assorted Musings

2006-03-29T20:28:00.001-08:00

- I like Vinod Mehta, the editor of Outlook magazine, a lot. I like his cynicism, his writing style and the way he speaks in interviews. But I really hate his sucking up to the Congress acts. All the cover stories involving major political stories, scandals etc always seem to give the Congress the benefit of the doubt. He has written a piece this week hailing Sonia Gandhi’s resignation from the Lok Sabha as a tremendous sacrifice etc. What crap! Why do you do this, Mr Mehta?

- Those of you, who are foolish enough to claim that Sachin’s career is over, please shut up. I have had enough of you guys. Indiatimes.com, please focus on sleaze. That’s what you are good at. Not cricket!

- Watched a movie called “Before Sunrise”. I just adore the movie. Will write a detailed review soon.

- Am still jobless at work! How many stars should shine before I get work? :)

- Am watching a lot of movies. Will post detailed reviews soon.

Manoj

Kanda Naal Muthal completes 100 days!

2006-03-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

In today’s age when movies are struggling to even complete 25 days at the till, here is a movie that has completed 100 days. Hat is even more surprising is that the movie does not boast of any big stars. Prasanna, Laila and Karthik have played out their characters really well.

The story is not really much to write about. The trick that makes the movie look really good is the presentation. The characters seem to be really spontaneous and there is no cringe-inducing scenes at all. Though Revati as Laila’s mom is very plastic.

For any romantic movie to work, the lead pair should have the chemistry that will make the audience root for the union of the characters. Kanda Naal Muthal does that in style. There is a palpable chemistry between the lead pair. The situations seem to be very natural and thus identifiable.

Yuvan just rocks in the movie. The Merke Merke and Pani Thuli songs are something that he can be really proud of. Priya V, the director of the movie, can take a lot of pride in having given the masses and the classes a good film.

I have seen the movie twice in theatres and i love the movie not just for the movie but for a lot of different reasons!

Here is once again congratulating the director and the producer, Prakash Raj, for gifting the Tamil audience a fantastic film.

- Manoj

President Bush in India

2006-03-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

President Bush is in India currently. The trip assumes a lot of importance and significance. Lots of talk about nuclear deals and historic change in relations etc.

I am going to focus more on the fun that the triumvarite of Leno, Letterman and Conan (The three giants of American late night shows!).

This is what the boys have had to say:

President Bush made a surprise stop in Afghanistan today on his way to India. He didn’t want to. He bought his ticket on priceline.com.

President Bush then went to India. He was met with protests there. As a result most Americans spent the day on hold with computer problems

President Bush is on his way to India. I guess he had to go. Apparently he lost the lost the phone number for tech support.

President Bush is also going to visit Pakistan. I think he wants to put them in charge of our airport security

Will keep updating as the tongue-in-cheek one-liners keep pouring in!

Manoj

What kind of Seducer am I?

2006-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Your Seduction Style: Sweet Talker

Your seduction technique can be summed up with "charm"You know that if you have the chance to talk to someone...Well, you won't be talking for long! ;-)
You're great at telling potential lovers what they want to hear.Partially, because you're a great reflective listener and good at complementing.The other part of your formula? Focusing your conversation completely on the other person.
Your "sweet talking" ways have taken you far in romance - and in life.You can finess your way through any difficult situation, with a smile on your face.Speeding tickets, job interviews... bring it on! You truly live a *charmed life*

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

Prem’s wedding and assorted musings of yesterday

2006-02-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Prem got married yesterday amidst high drama and action. But like Shakespeare said, all’s well that ends well. I am not going to go into any more details on that.

Firstly, I need to congratulate Shyam, Rags and Subbu for a job well done. The wedding wouldn’t have happened if not for you guys. Proud of you guys!

Now for some musings of yesterday!

“My name is not Aishyam”!

Rags, Shyam and I were lazing around in the maapilai’s room. Shyam got a call in his mobile and asked Rags to screen the call. Rags attended the call and a few seconds later asked Shyam if he wanted a HSBC credit card. Shyam, already agitated with a lot of things, decided to take things in his own hands. He took the phone and Rags and me listened in on the conversation. Of course we could only hear what Shyam was speaking. This is what we heard:

(A 2-second pause after taking the phone from Rags)
“My name is not aishyam”
(Another 2-second delay)
“Just because my mail id is aishyam doesn’t mean my name is aishyam”
(Another 2-second delay)
“Oh! Your name is Aisha is it!”

That was enough for both of us to laugh our hearts out!!

How Gautham lost his cellphone

We were having lunch and Gautham was busy playing “Snakes” on his mobile. His mobile looked slightly old and that prompted a few questions. Gautham revealed that he had lost his mobile and this is how the conversation went:

(Don’t remember who, but certainly either me or Shyam): Yaein daa puthu mobile vaangalaey
Gautham: 15,000 rooba mobile tholaichappram innoru mobile vaanga kashtamaaa irukku.
Shyam: Eppadi daa mobile tholaichaey
Gautham: (slightly irritated that he has to talk about losing his mobile) Aaan, roatlaey nadanthu vanthirunthein, appo oru pichaikaaran vanthu mobile kaettain, serinnu kuduthuttein!
Shyam: (in all earnestness and seriously): oh! Appadiyaa!!
:)

Brijesh’s Thappu

It must have been around 11:30 in the morning. Brijesh and me were sitting in the second row and watching the proceedings. Suddenly Brijesh turned round to me and said “Maams, oru thappu nadanthu pochu”. I waited for the rest of the stuff to come out. “Naan pal thekkamai kuzhichittein daa”!

There was much more fun yesterday, but am not exactly remembering everything right now.

So guys, if you remember anything from yesterday and think it needs to be recorded for posterity let me know. Will add!

I am not sure if the Eureka Forbes story needs to be told!
:)

Who is a Multiple Star?

2006-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some of Kollywood’s “Stars”

Superstar – Probably the only deserving “star” title. Calling Rajni with his name is sacrilege in Tamil Nadu. He is Superstar. That’s it.

Supreme Star – Don’t know what is supreme about Sarath Kumar, but that’s how he is known out here. His movies are more or less predictable. Though he comes up with one or two good performances once in a while.

TopStar – This refers to Prashanth. Don’t exactly know why this came about. There is nothing top about him.

Ultimate Star – Ajith Kumar. He looked like he was becoming “ultimate” during his Vaali days. But now he has lost a lot of charm and gained a lot of weight!!

Multiple Star

Now this takes the cake. I can excuse those who came up with Supreme Star, Top Star etc.. but I certainly intend to take to court the guy who came up with “Multiple Star”. Apparently S J Suryah is Multiple Star.

He is the only hero who can turn even normal dialogues to double meaning dialogues. (Multiple meanings Star!!). So I guess the means justify the end!

- Manoj

On this and that…..

2006-02-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

OK guys, have not updated the blog in a long time and so here are some updates.

The “Tondulkar” or “Endulkar” debate

This debate is the handiwork of the Times of India I think. The minute Sachin scores less than 50, TOI goes overboard and calls him Endulkar and starts speculating on his retirement. Guys, please give him a break. He is the brightest jewel in India’s cricketing crown. And specifically to the guys at TOI, YOU GUYS please take a break!

Kushboo and “Maxim”

My sincere regards for Kushboo. Wonder what she has done to be kept on being targeted like this. The picture that was published in “Maxim” was a real disgrace. I really hope she goes on to sue the publishers and extract all the apologies that she can.

Still hooked to Rang De Basanti

This movie is just refusing to die out from my collective conscious. Am thinking about it in some way or the other. I just love the Khalbali variation that Rahman has done while the title and the credits roll in the beginning. I just hope that all the BGM bits are collated and released as a CD. I would love to buy it!

Still jobless at work

Ahem..I am still jobless at work. I am mastering games like Flipwords, WhatWords, Zuma etc. Check them out at games.yahoo.com. They can be pretty addictive!

Which Leader am I?

2006-02-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

Took the Leader test and the result is:

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Take the test here:
http://similarminds.com/leader.html

- Manoj

Which Classic Movie am I?

2006-02-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

Took this test http://similarminds.com/movie.html
and this is what I am, apparently:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

- Manoj

Enakku Thevayellam……

2006-01-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Was reading a review of the movie Mudhalvan in one of the blogs and came across the classic dialogue that Arjun delivers in the movie. Yup it is the “Enakku thevayellam ettu mani nera thookam, poo pola naalu idli, pudhina chatney, mansakku niraivana vaelai, appa ammavoda oru kai rummy, pooncholai kiramathilai oru azhaghana ratchashi”. Got me thinking about enakku thevayellam. So here I go again with a long list :)

Enakku Thevaiyellam ….

1. Constant Fights with my mom. I just love annoying her and I know that she secretly loves seeing me getting annoyed with her. And by the way, I just love her!
2. Constant fights with my brother. I know he seriously gets irritated with me and that feeling is mutual.
3. Main Ratnam movies style dialogues with my Dad.
4. Hanging out all the time with Shyam, Brijesh, Prem, Rags and gang and constantly eating their heads out with my so-called “humour” :). I know I do this so well.
5. My guardian angel Sandhya. I will be that much more poorer without her.
6. My Mom’s sambhar sadham. I just cant do without them. Amma, I know you wont read this, but I will show this entry to you at some point of time and just want to tell you that you are the best cook in the world.
7. Listening to Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4. I am an addict now and cannot think of missing this show ever. I absolutely adore the way Nicholas Parsons starts the show with the characteristic “Welcome to Just a Minute…”
8. A R Rahman’s music. The thrill that I experience on hearing the songs in each one of his new albums for the first time is beyond words.
9. Watching Apollo 13 and Casablanca for God-only-knows how many times.
10. My own azhagaana raatchasi. :)

- Manoj

So-called “Movie Critics” - Do you guys have a problem with AR Rahman?

2006-01-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

I was appalled to read yet another movie review of Rang De Basanti by some guy called P Shukla who is supposed to be part of the EYE TV India bureau.

This guy says:
“Rakeysh Omprakasah Mehra made his debut in Bollywood as Rakesh Mehra in 'Aks' with Amitabh Bachchan leading the cast with Manoj Bajpai and Raveena Tandon. 'Rang De Basanti' faces the same crisis in narration as was in 'Aks'. Mehra tries to be logical with his illogical points. These kinds of things may be very good for the intellectual class but people in India visit theatres for entertainment. That is surely missing in the film at least in the post-interval part. Mehra fails to create a base for the story at the very outset of the plot.”

But what exactly is the problem? Besides what language is this? “These kind of things…”. I do not even know if this guy is a professional reviewer or not.

But what really is irking me is this paragraph:

“But, 'Rang De Basanti' fails in its music department. A.R.Rehman once again fails to live up to the need of the time and despite getting good lyrics from Prasoon Joshi, he could not live up to the expectations. None of the song has a haunting quality and after initial zig, melodies of these songs fizzle out.”

Goodness gracious me!! I really cant believe I read some crazy stuff like that! There you go again, the lyrics is very good it seems but the music is not good! When was the last time you got to hear songs like “Lukka Chuppi” and “Tu Bin Batayae”. When Yash Chopra comes up with his inane sounding movies and songs which inevitably start and end with “Sanam” or “Deewana” or “mastana”, everybody goes ga-ga over it! And what is this “AR Rehman once again fails to live up to the need of the time…”? I don’t even know if this guy knows what he is talking about. Dude, if you cant stomach a musician being way ahead of his contemporaries, just shut up and stop writing stupid reviews like this.

Even though I am a fanatic supporter of Rahman, it is not that I cannot stomach criticism of him or his works. It however needs to be subjective and not this biased! I certainly wont take such stupid commentaries without protesting!

- Manoj

A Review and a Rejoinder

2006-01-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

Just happened to read the review of Range De Basanti on indiafm.com and was appalled by it.

Read it here:

http://www.indiafm.com/movies/review/12493/

After reading the review, I knew I had to say something about the pathetic nature of it and dashed off the below text to the Editor.

Absolutely pathetic review Mr. Taran Adarsh. The whole review gives me the feeling that you dont want to whole heartedly appreciate any of the guys involved in the movie.
Sample this:"The glitch is that the narrative goes into the past and returns to the present with alarming regularity, which tends to confuse the viewer at times"

I dont know with whom you saw the movie or if you are talking about yourself but there was no need for confusion at all! If you had made this comment on the movie "Saathiya" or something then thats perfectly fine. This comment here is totally out of place!

"In fact, the climax ruins the impact considerably."

Stop thinking like an ordinary Hindi film maker and for a second really wonder if the movie could have had a better ending than what was shown. The movie was trying to draw paralells with the past and the present. How else could it have ended?

"A.R. Rahman's music is ordinary. Barring ‘Paathshala’ and the title track, Rahman’s score doesn’t stay with you after the screening has ended"

Hahaha, this is the best sentence in your whole review. ORDINARY? Mr. Taran Adarsh, do you have any idea what you are saying? If Rang De Basanti is ordinary then according to you which movie sound track was good? "Jawani Diwani" or "Kalyug"?? Hahaha...this one made me laugh more than getting me angry.

Such good Hindi movies come once in a year or so and please dont try to compare it with the normal muck turned out by Bollywood and devalue such a gem of a movie.
I am writing this as I have tremendous amount of respect for you. Had this been some other reviewer I would have muttered something under my breath and just got on with things.

Manoj

Rang De Basanti – The Experience

2006-01-26T01:37:00.000-08:00

****
(Ratings are out of 4 stars)

I have seen two kinds of Hindi movies so far. Movies that start aimlessly and meander its way to a boring and repetitive climax and movies that begin very promisingly but end up being preachy and losing its essence. And then I have finally seen the third kind. A movie that sticks to the core of the story right through till the end. I cannot think of a better way of celebrating Republic Day than watching Rang De Basanti.

The movie starts off with a foreigner Sue (played by Alice Patten) coming to India with dreams of making a documentary. She is helped by Sonia (played very well by Soha Ali Khan). Sue auditions a lot of people for the roles of Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad and the other revolutionaries without any success. Then enter Aamir Khan and gang.

Aamir Khan is DJ, the wisecracking aimless drifter. Siddharth is Karan, the son of a very rich businessman (Anupam Kher). Sharman Joshi plays Sukhi, the bumbler. Kunal Kapoor is Aslam, the lankiest of the lot. The saffrom tinted Atul Kulkarni joins this gang after misunderstandings and heartburns. Madhavan makes a special appearance.

I do not want to go into the storyline and end up revealing the story and the ending. Instead I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the director for coming up with a movie that is not only entertaining but in its own way ends up making you think.

After composing music for a few period films in Hindi, AR Rahman comes back with great style in this movie.

RDB is my first 4 star movie since I started writing this blog. Eventually it will definitely occupy a very high slot in my top 10 Hindi movies of the year 2006 and also in my all time best list.

It now remains to be seen if the general movie-going public end up appreciating the movie.

- Manoj

YSR’s philosophically brilliant song

2006-01-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

Was listening to the songs from Pudupet yesterday for the nth time. I have come to like 3 of the songs very much. My favorite though is the song that YSR himself has sung. The track is called “Oru Naalil”. YSR is not exactly the best singer in the world, but he has sung this track with limited amount of success. There are a few rough edges in the song rendition though.

The reason I really like the track is actually because of its lyrics. Sample these:

“Iritinilaey nee nadakaiyilaey un nizhalum unnai vittu vilagividum
Nee mattum thaan intha ulaginilaey unakku intha unmai vizhangividum”

“Karai varum neram paarthu kappalil kaathiruppom
Erimalai vanthaal kooda yeri ninru por thoduppom”

Hats off to the lyricist.

- Manoj

Paramasivan – To Hell and Back!

2006-01-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Unlike the other movies I am not going to post a review for this movie purely because I do not want my (very few!) readers to undergo the same pain that I went through. Myself, Prem and Shyam made the ultimate mistake of spending Rs. 150 on tickets, paying s 50 as Toll and going as far as Mayajaal to catch what is easily one of the most painful Tamil movies in recent history.

Ajith has slimmed down quite well and looks handsome. But he does all sorts of weird things in the name of acting. The director seems to have completely forgotten that you need to keep the audience interested in the proceedings if the film is to be a hit. We could only hear groans and whining in the audience right through till the interval. We could only tolerate 10 minutes of the movie after the interval and for the first time in our movie going history decided to walk out of a movie!

Only thing to say about the movie is AVOID IT!

- Manoj

Mission to Pluto

2006-01-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

NASA launched a rocket to Pluto yesterday. This is the first time that such a mission is being undertaken. More details here:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html

What really amazes me is the fact that the rocket is expected to land in Pluto only in the year 2015!

- Manoj

Happy Birthday Shyam!

2006-01-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here is wishing Shyam a very very happy birthday.
May you come to appreciate Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music atleast this year!

- Manoj

Saravana – Review

2006-01-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

*
(Ratings are out of 4 stars)

I am confused. Why is Simbu trying to act like Vijay? Vijay’s face expressions are very versatile and he can make comedy just out of the way he makes faces. Not Simbu!

The movie is nothing bug a rehashed version of Gilli.While Gilli turned out to be a massive hit and proved to be the turning point in Vijay’s career, this movie is going to do no such thing for Simbu. If anything it only ends up damaging his reputation of atleast trying out different things.

Jyothika is Simbu’s friend, Krishna’s sister. Simbu watches a video of Jyothika and falls in love with her. Krishna is the son of Prakash Raj, who is a village henchman and is in a perennial feud with the villain. I am not even going to go into the details of the so called “story” as it would mean reliving the moments that I watched the movie.

Simbu looks smart but ends up doing a lot of dumb things. The banter between Simbu and Krishna is enjoyable to a certain extent. The gay track between them is a straight lift from Kal Ho Na Ho. Jo looks very sweet and has done her bit for the film. Somehow she feels a trifle disinterested with the proceedings.

Vivek tries to raise a few laughs and fails miserably. Come on Vivek, whats wrong with you? Your timing seems to be going all wrong. The music is purely functional. The lyrics are horribly archaic and silly! Meghna Nidu tries to bring in the glamour quotient but ends up playing a very insignificant role!

All in all, a movie that is to be avoided.

5 Cinematic Moments that I Adore!

2006-01-17T00:35:00.000-08:00

In my never ending list of Top 5s, here is another addition. Presenting a list of the 5 best Cinematic moments that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

#5 – The shutter closing sequence in Tamil movie Run

Madhavan falls in love with Meera Jasmine, who is the sister of a thug. The brother has clear instructions sent out to his goons that they are to get rid of any guy that talks with his sister. Our hero of course is not going to be bogged down by that. Even after an initial skirmish between Madhavan and the goons, Madhavan does not lose his target of getting to know Meera Jasmine better.

One fine day Madhavan meets Meera in a subway and the brother’s goons also find their way to the place. Meera senses the presence of the goons and alerts Madhavan on the same. She then asks him to just run out of the Subway before the goons can get hold of him. Madhavan then starts to run at full speed towards the exit of the subway. Everybody in the theatre believes that he is trying to make an exit till the last moment when he jumps and pulls the shutter down, turns around and strikes a menacing pose!

The sequence is filmed very thrillingly. The final drawing of the shutter happens so unexpectedly that the audience is sure to be left in a daze.

#4 – The first love-making scene in The End of the Affair

The movie The End of the Affair is the screen adaptation of Graham Greene’s morality tale of the same name. The protagonist is in love with a lady who is married to a workaholic and dull husband. They had met in a public function and were inseparable thereafter. That is till the Germans bombard London with the Blitz and one night the bombs hit the protagonist. The lady thinks that her lover is dead. A little later however the protagonist walks in unscathed from the attack. The lady is not able to get over the fact that her lover is still alive. She had thought that he was dead and had started praying to God for his soul to rest in peace. But when he reappears unhurt she is unable to come to terms with it. She cannot love anybody else as much as she has loved him.

Thus breaks their affair. The End of the Affair. But the protagonist never can forget his lady love. A few years later he meets her husband in blinding rain one night. The husband asks him to come to visit him. As the protagonist walks into the house he is reminded of the times that he has spent with his love. We are shown the sequence where he follows her up the stairs all the while drawing her close to him. The friction just keeps building and one almost longs for the protagonist to possess his lady love. What follows next is the most seductive and raw love-making scene that I have ever seen. The friction and the chemistry between the lead pair are just unbelievable. The sequence might not be present in the theatrical version of the movie but I got to watch this sequence in the DVD version. The sequence serves to highlight the passion and the romance that the lead pair have and it works like magic!

This sequence almost always ends up draining me of words.

#3 – The climax sequence in Kaathalukku Mariyaathai

I don’t think this should be any surprise at all. This movie went a long way in establishing Shalini as an actress of substance in Tamil cinema. For Vijay this was another important film. He had enough room to prove his acting abilities and he seized the opportunity with both hands.

The movie follows the predictable teeny bopper love story track. The hero and the heroine are separated because both their families oppose their union. They try every possible thing to bring about peace but fail. In the end they decide that the best thing to do would be to part. They end up parting but can’t seem to forget each other. In this situation Vijay chances upon a chain in his wallet that belongs to Shalini. Vijay’s parents decide to visit the girl’s house to return the chain to her and in the process see the girl that Vijay was in love with. That sets the tone for the sequence.

The sequence begins with Vijay’s parents arriving at the Shalini’s place. Shalini’s brothers are at first hostile but on getting to know their intentions welcome them inside their home. There is lot of awkwardness amongst the family members as they are unsure about what to talk. Srividhya, Vijay’s mother and Shalini’s mother start talking about the chain and Srividhya returns it. She then sees Shalini for the first time and immediately likes her. Sivakumar, Vijay’s father tries to end everybody’s embarrassment by asking Srividhya if they can leave.

Just as they are about to leave Srividhya breaks into tears and unexpectedly asks for Shalini’s hand in marriage with Vijay. The brothers of Shalini are absolutely stunned. But they get even more stunned with Shalini’s mother signals her approval. The audience breaks out in claps and joy! That is one of the reasons that this movie succeeded so well. Any romance movie works only if the audience desperately wants the hero and the heroine to get together at any cost. This movie did that very well indeed.

#2 – The last 30 minutes of Apollo 13

First things first. Apollo 13 is my “desert movie”. I can see this movie any number of times and can possibly even live on this movie alone for the rest of my life. This movie is a celebration of love, triumph, loss, dreams and hopes! It has got the right blend of everything.

Tom Hanks leads 2 other astronauts on a mission to the moon. Midway they develop problems and have to come back to Earth. The problem is that nobody is sure about the extent of the problem that the spacecraft has had. Hence everybody is nervous. A whole nation waits and watches.
The last 30 minutes of the movie heights the suspense and the thrill. Will the astronauts make it back to Earth? Will the heat shield hold?

I just love Tom Hanks in this movie. He is grace personified. His banter with the astronauts and the communications with Mission Control give us an idea of what the real Jim Lovell must have gone through. There are no over the top and dramatic sequences. Things are not breaking up everywhere or bombs are not being hurled left right and center. Yet the action keeps us tightly glued to our seats.

Finally when the parachute of the astronauts appears in the sky and Tom Hanks communicates excitedly with Mission Control saying “Houston, this is Odyssey. Its good to see you again” the whole of the Mission Control breaks into loud cheers. Ed Harris as the Mission Controller heaves a sigh of relief and all is well that ends well!

I strongly recommend this movie to one and all.

#1- The pre-climax scene from Dalapathi – The most powerful moment in Tamil Cinema. A sheer tour de force!

This sequence is my most favorite one in any movie, any language. Superstar and Mammooty are good natured thugs. Rajini does not have any family or so he thinks till he comes to know of Srividhya who turns out to be his mother. He however is not in a position to disclose his identity to her as he is ashamed that he has turned out to be a thug and his brother is a dignified IAS officer. Also he does not want to give up his friendship with Mamooty and hence buries his wishes of disclosing his identity. Also Arvind Swamy ends up marrying Rajni’s one-time sweetheart. Mammooty is not aware of the fact that Arvind Swamy is Rajni’s brother.

Rajni’s brother, Arvind Swamy, gets Mammooty arrested and has him beaten up in jail. This infuriates Mammooty and he bays for the blood of Arvind Swamy. He asks Rajni to get rid of Arvind Swamy. Rajni however is now in a Catch-22 situation. He does not want to disobey his friend but he of course cant end up killing his own brother. This sets up the brilliant sequence.

Mammooty asks Rajni to get rid of Arvind Swamy and Rajni starts fidgeting. Mammooty gets surprised.
“Then what is the reason?” persists Mammooty. All the while the scene is being taken to a new level by Ilayaraja’s superb background score.
“I cannot do it Deva” Rajni fidgets.
“Tell me, what is the reason” Mammooty starts getting angry.
“Please don’t ask me why Deva. But I cannot do what you are asking me to” continues Rajni.
“Why? Is it because your former lover is married to him now?” Mammooty is in no mood to give up.
Rajni delivers those immortal lines and I will quote it in Tamil:
“Enna Deva kaettaey? Enna paathu enna Deva kaettaey? Natpunnaa ennanu theriyumaa unakku? Nanbananna yaarunnu theriyumaa unakku? Devaanaa yaarunnu theriyumaa unakku?”.

The looks on Rajni’s face as he delivers the line is worth a million dollars. It was acting at its very very best! Great scene Mr Ratnam. I still get goosebumps when I watch this sequence!

100 Hits and Counting!

2006-01-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

En Iniya Tamizh Makkalaey,

Ungal paasaathukkuriya Manoj ezhuthi kozhvathu.
The blog is only a handful of days old and already the number of hits have touched 100.

Thanks guys! Keep visiting and posting your comments.

- Manoj

Aadhi – Review

2006-01-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

**
(Ratings are out of 4 stars)

What happens when you get a family that is wiped out by a villain and a few from the family manage to escape the onslaught? That’s right, Revenge! What do you get when you see Vijay in yet another action role? Lot of punch lines! What do you get when you have Trisha as Vijay’s heroine? Some real good dance! And what do you get at the end of the movie? That lingering feeling that you have already seen the movie n number of times!

The opening sequence definitely manages to evince interest. Trisha is seen enjoying nature along a beach and then all of a sudden murders a retired policeman. Nasser is her accomplice and uncle. We are shown glimpses of why Trisha is doing what she is. In comes Vijay. Vijay is Aadhi, waiting to take revenge on the villain who is very imaginatively named RDX!

There is a twist in the tale. Vijay and Trisha are thirsting for the blood of the same villain, RDX. We are then told the story through Vijay’s eyes and come to know that Vijay is Trisha’s Mama. The rest of the story is how Vijay goes about executing the villains.

There is a huge downside to the movie. The clash between the villain and Vijay and for that matter any clash in the movie is very unimaginative and seems to be so easy that one starts wondering what the hue and cry is all about. Vijay walks into the villain’s house as if he is walking into his own. The villains enter the house of Prakash Raj with the same ease. Bad direction Mr. Director!

In the opening sequences we are shown a college and some rowdies enter the college and ask for somebody named “Bullet”. One can almost feel the frown in the audience as they expect a drab fight. Instead in walks Vivek as “Bullet” and sets the tone for doing some real good comedy scenes. He disappears in the second half though.

Trisha is given equal importance with Vijay and has done her role well. Her dance seems to have improved a great deal. Looks like Prabhu Deva has really trained her well in the Telugu movies. Vidyasagar’s music is good. The Athithom… song is a joy to hear.

This movie will end up appealing to only the hardest of hardcore Vijay fans. There is nothing new in terms of story or thrills. Except for a few sequences between Aadhi and RDX that are filled with sharp and witty exchanges there really is nothing in terms of freshness in the plot.

For Vijay’s sake I hope this movie runs well.

It looks like the Old is the new New going by the 80’s formula that the new Tamil movies have started adopting!

Sandakozhi – Review

2006-01-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Sandakozhi – Review

**
(Ratings are out of 4 stars)

It was Brijesh’s brilliant idea that we go for Kanda Naal Mudhal Matinee show at Satyam. Raghav, Shyam and myself were more or less convinced that we wont get tickets. Yet we went all the way to Satyam to see the Houseful sign for KNM. The next theatre to head to was of course Devi Theatre and off we went to watch Sandakozhi.

The film starts off with Vishal advising his fellow students not to get tensed before and after exams! We were wondering what the director was trying to do or tell! Then we get introduced to Meera Jasmine and her antics. Truly enjoyable! Then follows a few predictable scenes between the hero and the heroine and they fall in love.

The baddie of the movie then gets introduced. He is Kasi. A thug who controls the city. The first 40 minutes of the movie just meanders. Shyam sitting next to me remarked that “had it been a Vijay movie the first villain would have been beaten up by now and Vijay would be targeting the second villain”!

Our hero learns about Kasi and his wicked ways. Invariably there is a confrontation between the two and Vishal beats up Kasi black and blue. Kasi then trains his gun on Vishal. His only motive in life becomes to get rid of Vishal. Then comes the interesting turn of events whereby we come to know that Vishal is the son of Raj Kiran, who is a good hearted thug. The film then goes on to a predictable climax.

There are a few scenes that are very interesting and enjoyable to watch. Especially the scene where Vishal comes to know that the guy that he hit was Kasi. His reaction and the fight thereafter is very well done. Meera Jasmine delivers yet another tomboyish performance with good flair. The music of YSR is just about OK.

Linguysamy’s previous venture Run succeeded because of the raciness of the movie and the freshness of the sequences. Sandakozhi seems to be heavily inspired by Run and just about succeeds to capture the breeziness of Run. Lingusamy better stay off this track again. Surely he cant keep remaking his own movies and expect to succeed every time.

- Manoj

Another list of 5 favourite songs!

2006-01-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

Shyam’s comment on my top 5 list has got me thinking and I am actually tempted to list down 5 more songs that I have thoroughly enjoyed. They are some real classics and are listed here. They are not in any particular order.

Nee thaana antha kuyil from Muthal Mariyaathai

The tune of this song is nothing short of beautiful. The visuals also add a lot of quality to the song. The best part of the song is again its lyrics. Sample this:
“Yetho enpaatukku naan paattu paadi, sollaatha sogatha sonneinadi”
“Soga raagam sogam thaanaey”
The melody of this song is really haunting indeed.

Raasaathi unnai from Amman Koil Kizhakkalai

I am sure there will be no two opinions about this song. This song is a classic and is one of the most played songs on radio. Again it is a sad song and that enhances its appeal.

Kaathal Rojaavaey from Roja

This track from the album that took the film world by storm needs neither any introduction nor any description. This song has retained its freshness even after all these years. Sample the lyrics:
“Penn illathaa oorilaey adi Aaan poo kaetpathillai”

Thenpandi seemaiyilaey from Nayagan

This is not a very lengthy song. It is a sad song. It is soaked in sadness. Yet there is something about this song that tugs at the heart. Brilliant composition from the Maestro.

Thuliyilaey aada vantha from Chinna Thambi

No song can match the sheer sweetness of this song. Ilayaraja has composed so many melodies, but this one really stands out!

My Top 5 Favourite Songs of All Time

2006-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Presenting a list of my 5 most favorite songs!

#5: Yeh Jo Des Hai Thera from Swades

I remember not being very thrilled about this song the first time I heard it. But after 2 or 3 hearings I was just hooked. The mood and the theme of the song just kept growing on me. A R Rahman has sung quite a few good numbers. I consider this number from Swades to be one of his many masterpieces. As is the case with many of Rahman’s numbers the best part of this song is its simplicity. No heavy instrumentation, yet the song manages to capture the right sounds. Fantastic Number!

#4: Vaseegara from Minnale

I bought the audio cassette of Minnale after I came to know that Harris Jeyaraj used to work with Rahman. The first track of the album was the fast paced “Oh Mama..” song. I remember remarking “Good start. Hope the other songs are also like this” at the end of this track. But nothing prepared me for the impact that the next song, Vaseegara, would have on me. Few seconds into the song I knew I was listening to something really special. I knew I was right when I finished listening to the song! Right from the lyrics of the song to the seductive voice of Bombay Jayashree everything about this song was magical. I would have heard this song atleast 300-350 times, yet I still like listening to it. I consider this Harris Jeyaraj’s best composition to date.

#3: Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gam (sad version) from K3G

This is actually a bit of a surprise even for me. I don’t like any of the songs in K3G. I chanced upon this sad version of the title track sung by Lata Mangeshkar by sheer luck. It is a really small track lasting just 1 minute and 54 seconds. The thing about the song is that is that it has sadness written all over it and sometimes the heart just wants to listen to such a song. I strongly recommend this song to anybody who wants to brood over life!

#2: Iruvathu Kodi from Thullatha Mananum Thullum

This is a song that I might probably end up singing over and over again to my wife. This song is a romantic’s delight. The soothing melody accompanied by exquisite love lyrics makes this song really magical. Hariharan sings the song with perfect involvement.

#1: Fanaa from Ayitha Ezhuthu

This is my “desert song”. I.e., if I were to be stranded in a desert and was given the choice of being able to listen to only one song forever then I will just choose this song instantly. It is not just a song. It is an experience. Whenever I hear this song I get transported to a completely different world. It takes a while for me to get back to normal after the song is over. Rahman is at his wicked best yet again in this song.

My favourite Repartee

2006-01-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading a book called “Viva la Repartee”. It is a classic compilation of some of the wittiest and funniest rejoinders and quips in history. After finishing the book I paused to think about a repartee or a funny quip that I enjoyed a lot. I was immediately reminded of Anand’s fantastic quip while traveling back from Yercaud a few years back.

The travel back from Yercaud to Salem should have normally not taken more than 40 minutes. We got into a bus that had a few Chinese also in it. The bus seemed to be traveling forever. We were getting really impatient with the whole thing. Shyam kept asking the conductor as to when the bus would, if at all, manage to reach Salem and kept getting replies like “We will definitely make it” etc. We then started making fun of the whole trip and were regaling ourselves by insulting the driver and conductor when Anand came up with the best observation of the evening. He said:

“If we travel at this rate, the Chinese will end up becoming Indian citizens!”.

Fantastic one Anand. I truly enjoyed it and still have a smile on whenever I think about it.

- Manoj

Sad News

2006-01-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sad News

A sad news. My former boss, Senthil’s, mother passed away yesterday. On hearing it a group of us from office went to his home to offer him our condolences. Senthil seems to have taken the loss pretty well. Another thing I like about him. His unshakeableness! It takes a lot to really get him unsettled.

Went all the way to Padi to visit him. After a long time I walked for more than half an hour at a stretch. The last time I remember doing this was in Delhi when I walked for close to 1.5 hours to reach a place that was actually just 20 minutes away! (Vertica, if you are reading this, yes I accept, on that particular day you girls were much smarter than us men :)).

- Manoj

Jobless and very Restless

2006-01-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

After 2.5 years of daily work in some form or the other, I am free again. Absolutely jobless. Also scared about where life is going to take me next :).

Anyway, this gives me a chance to work on my traditional year ending post, i.e., "Top 10 News of the year gone by". There will of course be 3 categories:
1. World
2. India
3. ClassXIIPSS (Hold your breath for this one guys. One Teaser trailer: "Pappraasi" will surely make it to the Top 10! Sorry Brijesh :)

Manoj

Top 10 Things I will miss about my previous Project

2006-01-01T03:01:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned about my previous project getting closed. I worked (some would dispute this!)in the project for over a year and half. Its time to move on. But there will be a few things that I will definitely miss.

Here are the top 10 things that I will miss about my previous project :)

# 10 – Daily Deliverables

This “Daily Deliverables” concept is something like God. We in the Account know it exists. But we are unable to explain the phenomenon clearly. Especially when our SQA or somebody else asks about it. J Yet, anybody who has worked in the account will really and truly know what we are talking about. Like religion, this is a very personal experience! Personal to the Account!

#9 - The Ritual of Trouble with the NOC guys

Guess who will be the most happiest when they come to hear of our project closing down. You bet! That’s right! It should be the NOC guys. Almost all the times the QE team has to test on the DMZ machines a ritual of war gets played out. The NOC team will cite some reason and will finally give the access almost during lunch time only. Once this race against time is over will begin the next one. How to finish the day’s work within the next 4-5 hours so that the Onsite Coordinators do not breathe fire down our necks! Very interesting tussle!

#8 – The Mac Machines aka Jukeboxes of the Account

If I am not wrong, the Mac machines would have been used for around 7 full days in the last 365 days for testing purposes. That is nothing but close to 2 % usage on testing. (Psst, that is the success rate of my installations!). The rest of the 98 % was taken up by just one application. iTunes. I will sorely miss listening to songs on the Mac. Goodbye Macs! Have a safe journey back to the States!

#7 – Weekly Status Report

Even though I am going to mock the WSR in the next few lines, I really think that this was one of the best practices that we followed in the project. The preparation of the WSR was akin to watching a 3-hour long boring film. You know you cannot walk out in the middle and yet know how exactly the film will end. Trust me, it never was a happy ending!

#6 – Desktop cum Server Concept

I am really going to brutal now. I have never been a fan of the desktop cum server concept and I possibly never ever will. My machine tried to be a server half of its life and a desktop its other half and finally ended up supporting none of the cause. The result was a hung machine, much like the Bihar assembly a few months back. Yet like roads that turn miraculously clean when an MLA or Minister is to pass through them, my machine would always function perfectly fine when a certain Mr. Senthil used to be around. I am truly at loss to decide to whom the credit should go to. Is that to my machine for working just at the correct time or for Senthil to walk in at the perfect time? Either way yours truly was the loser!

# 5 – Resource Reshuffling

Hi,

Following is the resource re-shuffling effective 1st January 2006.

1 Resource will work in PMC for 2 hours in the morning. After coffee break the resource will move to the Escalations team and then have lunch. After lunch, the resource needs to work in Response Engineering team. After coffee break this resource can work in the module of his / her choice but it should not be PMC, Response, Escalations or Powerweb.

This needs to continue till the next release, which inevitably will be delayed.

Need I say more!!!

#4 – Installations

My top 10 list would have been incomplete and poor without this point. The fact of the matter is that I am a terrible installer! And I am sure my full team will vouch for that! I am happy that I do not have to do any more installations! I publicly apologize to those of you who had the bad fortune of learning the installation steps from me. This has never been a fair world!

#3 – Local IPAT (QE specific :) )

There really is something about IPAT that brings impish grins on our faces. Even though it should not be the case, most of us treat IPAT with the same respect that we used to give our Third Language in School. The QE team had another demon to contend with. The “LocalIPAT”. I will truly miss this one. This actually ended up saving a lot of time. Let me explain how. There were 3 columns to be filled each by either the PL/Author or the Reviewer. 99.99 % of the times, the Reviewer column only carried zeros and the other .11% of the time just pure blanks. The column meant for the PL would dangerously be similar to the contents in the Author column. This way we could get more done with less effort!

(All Standard Disclaimers apply!)

#2 – The Leave/Comp-Off Concept

Now I am treading on possible controversial ground. So I better be careful. Let me tell you what I think about this with this example:

We all know that God created the world in 6 days (possibly working 8 hours a day) and on the 7th day He took rest. But if God were to be in the account, then He would have had to work 2 hours extra on each of the 6 days in order to have had the 7th day off.

I rest my case!

#1 – My Team

The thing that I will miss the most has to definitely be my team. These are the brave souls who put up with me for over a year now. They were a very persevering lot. I am happy that they were very patient with me and waited a long time hoping I would be good to them. They could easily adjust themselves to the situation. They were smart enough to realize that I would never turn out to be that way and quickly adjusted themselves to it. They were always there for me when I needed them the most, i.e., when my efforts had to be offset by some extra efforts from their side. I will truly miss my team :).

So Long guys!

Here I go again!

2006-01-01T02:52:00.000-08:00

Hello World,

This is actually my third attempt at keeping a blog up and running. The first attempt was a moderate failure while the second turned out to be an unmitigated disaster! (So much so that I actually do not remember the address of my 2nd blog!).
But this one is here to stay. I am definitely going to update this one on a daily basis. This is going to be my soundboard.

Let me start by whishing one and all a very happy new year.

So whats in store for me this new year?

For one, I dont have a job from tomorrow. Need to find one.
Things going well I should be married before the end of this year or atleast find the girl of my (oh how many I dont remember!) dreams.
I definitely want to finish writing my book on Madras. It is taking far too much time than I had expected it to.

I hope things get off to a positive start tomorrow.

Alright guys, keep checking the blog for regular updates from me :)