The Fighter: Movie Review

Brilliant movie, with solid acting from everyone.

Engaging story with sufficient lessons about life, but never gets preachy.

Screenplay moves at a good pace, and never makes you lose interest in it.

Mark Wahlberg surprises with his acting.

While Amy Adams plays a stereotype breaking role excellently.

Melissa Leo acts so well, she has to be given an award.

But the real "Pièce de résistance" movie is, Christian Bale.

Bale is surely on the path to become a legendary actor, or maybe he really is. He transforms himself so well that all that we can do is admire his dedication to the craft of acting while our jaws drop to the ground.

He has set the bar of performance so high, that not many may reach forget about scaling it. And he has lot of lessons in acting for an Indian actor who is called "perfectionist" among other things by his fans.

Bale has shown that its not about body shape, hairstyle, makeup and clothes. Its also about a few more things, namely body language, accent, character, and personality.

Boxing scenes are also very well done, and they are more like a real match than dramatic movie scenes. And opponent boxers are also not over the top.

The essence of a industrial town neighborhood is so well maintained throughout, we fell we are transported there.

Go watch this, this movie is worth the money spent. Some critics don't agree, but I don't really care, this is one of the best movies of 2011, till date.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep By Philip K Dick

Mini-Book Review:-

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep By Philip K Dick :-

One of the best science fiction books.

Its not just about technology but deals with ethical questions with regards to Androids. Also touches on spirituality and humanity on the whole, but never gets boring as it maintains sufficient thrill with good pace.

Well divided chapters hold your attention as you dive deeper into the mind of the lead character who questions himself inadvertently makes you question yourself.

The future is so well done in this book, that it doesn't get in your way, and yet you don't question it.

This book was made into a movie called "Blade Runner". I have Director's cut DVD, but I wanted to read the book first.

The author, has written few more sci-fi books, so they are next on my list.

Highly recommended

If only I knew

I never knew what I knew best
Had no idea what I was good at
Was used to doing what others did
Used to think was right what they did
Never knew what skill I had
Floating through life as events happened around
Never thought of steps to take
Just stepped on the one that was closer
Now when I see maestros all around
I realize why I couldn't realize like they did
Now it seemed easy thing to do
Something back then I could never do
And clearly I feel its too late
I am sure in future I will look back
And say that back then I should have changed
And in reminiscence ponder If only I knew

Back from a sabbatical

I have been staring at the PC screen, yet I am unable to think of a better starting line for this post. I guess I have to continue typing and see where this goes. Because someone once said, its not about the destination, but about the journey, that you should be enjoying.

Talking of journey, a short bike ride of 200 odd kms got canceled at the final moment, disturbing my mood for the weekend. But since my sister is back from Pune on break from here studies, weekend will be more tolerable. 

What I cannot tolerate is one office colleague calling SRK "bakwas actor". Now I am not claiming he is best actor in the whole world, he surely isn't the worst. Talking of movies, I hope at least one Akshay Kumar works, as I am starting to feel sympathetic towards his flopping movies. Yet I have no sympathy for Abhishek Bachchan who continues to work in one flop after another. 

What isn't remotely flop is Harry Potter and deathly hallow  Part 1. I really loved this movie a lot, and I am eager to watch the 2nd part. I really love the way in which director's interpret a book. It is not always same as the book, but its surely entertaining. 

Well, I have no idea how I have been able to type all these lines. Because I have got what people could call a blogger's block. I am just not able to write a invigorating blog post. And talking about refreshing, it is refreshing to know that Arsenal are back to winning ways. 

But the climate here has gone bonkers, it rains one any day without warning. Its so bad, people are calling it London weather. But the mood for me right now is French. Oh, yes ! I am mesmerized by Carla Bruni. 

Sometimes

Sometimes we think grass is greener on the other side, and we find out that it is really green, but not edible.

Sometimes I drink lots of cold water/fizz drinks/chilled juices and yet not have a bad throat. And one bowl of (bitter) dahi of dahi-wada makes my throat feel funny. 

Sometimes I get tired of listening to pop, or hip-hop but some retro hits of acts like Scorpions/Deep Purple never feel like overdose. 

Sometimes I think, most of the time I don't.

Are you wondering why I left this space blank???

Well I said, sometimes I just don't think. And I love it.

Spread the love. Not the kind of love that leads to breakups.

Ok, I will stop before the "devdas" in me, comes out with more negative cupid-killer quotes.

So may things going on..so little can fingers type..

Movies:

Watched "Taken", a french action film starring Liam Neeson. Enjoyed the thrills. Watch it!

Music:

I have been listening to DMX and Eminem after a long time, a welcome change from Scorpions, Metallica, and Marilyn Manson.

Food:

Had a filling lunch of yummy Palak-Paneer and Butter Naan. Loved it. When it becomes difficult to choose from a menu due to confusion, I go for palak-paneer. 

Climate:

A bit dry and slightly chilly in the morning, a bit hot into the day sometimes, stuffy in the evening, cools down through the night. I forgot November is approaching. 

Work:

Lots of changes, lots of work, lots of decisions. 

Bike:

Completed 500kms (only??). 

Football:

Arsenal best Birmingham 2-1 with goals from Marouane Chamakh and Samir Nasri, after being a goal down. 

I have lost it!!

I have lost it. No, I am not talking about my virginity. I have lost my stamina for gluttony. I am aware of the fact that it is one of the so-called 7 deadly sins (Morgan Freeman,Brad Pitt movie). And reality is that I can't anymore eat plateloads of food without breaking a sweat (if it is a A/C room).

I am not sure I know the reason behind this loss of appetite. Earlier eating out with friends/family never saw food wasted due to over-ordering, as I was able to finish off everything, with my friends comparing my eating capacity to that of bike's fuel tank. 
Maybe it is because I have become flab conscious. Because even though I never became obese, I did gain weight, as compared to my skinny-look of college days. And now the target is always to eat less calories than what I consume. Neither do I work-out everyday nor I am a couch-potato. But of course, I have found that, eating less takes less effort than doing a rigorous physical work out. 
So maybe I do know why eat less, especially during late dinners with friends/families. Food intake is so less during these late hours, that sometimes a bowl of soup is enough for me. In spite of that I don't mess around with my breakfast and it is as filling as it is was. 
I guess eating less at the end of the day, isn't such a bad thing.

New Bike, ... Upgrade or Downgrade

That is Bajaj Pulsar 180, my first bike. I called it "Road Runner" Owned and enjoyed it from 2006 to 2010. Clocking more than 35,000 kms. And then sold it.

And bought this, Honda Twister.

Now those who are tuned in to bikes or automobiles in particular would have observed the clear downgrade in terms of CC (or cubic capacity) of the engine.

The trend is that people upgrade, usually from 100cc to 150 cc bike, from small car to big car, so forth and so on.

So not only I was breaking a trend, I was also making changes in my riding habits. Mainly in terms of power difference, and bike handling.

But technical issues and social trends aside. 

My old bike was giving problems, due to my heavy/rough riding and also it being my first bike, it had share of accidents/incidents.  While Bajaj haters would say Bajaj bikes are not reliable, I would say, a bike turns out how you maintain it. And my riding meant maintaining it was eating into my wallet already light due to low fuel efficiency. 

Then during my decision making, came the news the fuel prices were being deregulated. Which meant companies could change fuel rates whenever they wanted. Also Dad said buy a bike which he could ride as he found Pulsar too powerful. 

Finally I looked at bike magazines for opinions and buyer guide. And there, I saw pictures. Not of this bike, but of bike trips. 

I remembered the days when bike trips were more frequent. And reality was that my biker group had split and they had all moved on to not riding bikes to trip, instead renting a car or something. 

And with high maintenance and fuel costs, solo rides were not only expensive, but risky if bike broke down somewhere. 

And finally I wanted to experience a fuel efficient bike, the feeling of not having to visit the fuel station frequently.

Friends said, you will miss the power, I said, maybe I will. But at least I have experienced power. Not let me experience this.

And about viability of such low powered bikes for long trips was answered by people who have ridden minimum 500 kms in a day on 100-125 CC bikes, and not only that they have ridden such bikes in merciless terrain of Himalayas with sufficient luggage. 

But then there was a problem that fuel efficient bikes were not that good looking. Well that worry was wiped out by Honda Twister. 

So is it a downgrade or upgrade? I don't care, all I know its something different.

It has self start, so no kick-starting the bike. (Same as old bike)

Disc brakes, for accurate braking (again not a downgrade)

Tubeless tires (upgrade!!)

Most powerful engine in its class (same as old bike)

Maintenance free battery (again same)

Very good handler (they use it for racing in a championship in Chennai)

Dashing looks  and distinct color (same as old bike)

And it has the famed Honda reliability and a confident 5 year warranty on engine/gearbox/electricals.

Now that I have learnt from my mistakes, I have to be more careful with my bike. More than anything staying within limits of my skills.

And get on with the business of logging more kms, and visit some great places. 

So lets button start a new adventure on my yet unnamed bike. Suggestion for names are welcome

p.s. I had shortlisted different names like Shrek (its green), Poison Ivy, Green Day.

Theo Walcott is on fire !! Hat-trick man!

Arsenal's hat-trick hero Theo Walcott celebrates.  

Arsenal shot 6 goals past 10-man Blackpool. 

It was joyous occasion for many Arsenal fans, including me, to see youngsters like Walcott, Chamakh, Diaby, Wilshere play well. But it wasn't just youngsters, but also players yet to show true potential like Rosicky, who has been out due to injuries, who showed why he is called good. 

And also Arshavin, whose performance in 1-1 draw with Liverpool was called uninspiring.  Other team regulars like Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen were solid as usual. 

Song did well as center back. Well I could just say whole team played really well.  Now we just need to play with same consistency against other teams, who may not be this weak to allow 6 goals (except Wigan I guess who have conceded 10 goals in 2 games).

And finally score more goals than we conceded, its that simple, but not as simple as it looks.

Best wishes to Arsenal! Go Gunners! 

Why is it

Why is is that, after sporting a french beard (the kind Hans sported in Die Hard movie), you shave it off and my face seems empty.
It seems as if there was a painting and someone just removed it and now there is just a empty frame.
So to avoid emptiness I decided to leave a bit of facial hair in the form of goatee. I like to experiment with my look. It is interesting to note how perception of people towards you changes by addition/subtraction of beard or mustache.
So if I clear the mustache and keep a beard, mom says thats a muslim style. I furthur found out Amish people and some muslims actually do that.
Sometimes due to my french beard some people ask me if I am christian.
So its really funny how people are over enthusiastic to stereotype others.
Like if I say I listen to dido/nelly furtado, I am quickly stereotyped as a pop fan, and I am asked if I like Britney Spears. And this comes without realizing that I am not your typical music listener who listens to one genre of music. And my playlist has not only dido, but also BIG, Dre, Korn, Scorpions, Joe Satriani, Green Day, Indus Creed, Johnny Cash, Mohd. Rafi and many more music acts cutting across genres. My motivation to listen to different kinds of music is not only to appreciate and understand all music forms but also because I listen to different kinds of music according to my mood.
So if I am riding bike, I don't listen to heavy metal, as it makes me ride in rash manner, so its usually punk rock, as it is simple and doesnt take up too much concentration while riding.
If I need to lose some pent up energy then what is better than some air guitaring while listening to iron maiden or for that matter KISS.
When I need to listen to soothing voices its usually dido/nelly furtado/KT tunstall. And if I am really down then Mark Knoffler, Johnny Cash.
Then when I am walking through my childhood neighborhood, I listen to retro classics like Scorpions, Deep Purple, Doors.
When its time to move to a beat its usually some copied bollywood dance number or some crazy hip hop beat like JayZ.
When my mind is over run by english songs I playback some hindi songs that I like both old and new, from Mohd Rafi to Adnan Sami.
Now that doesn't make me a loyal fan of anything, and this doesn't even cover all the music acts that I love. Still I have just begun and there is a list of movies I love yet to come.
But I will stop and hope that people don't stop.
I hope people keep stereotyping me, there is more fun in making people think something you aren't. And then shocking them by doing something they didn't expect "my kind" to do.
Adios ! Amigo! gotta go to work!

p.s. pardon the spelling/grammatical mistakes, I haven't proof read it.