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.

when are you marrying

I see them everywhere
they are called happily married
together they find happiness
separated they are lonely
it scares me to the bone
I never knew I was paranoid
when people ask me many times
when are you tying the knot
I wonder if they seek my smile
or want to join them in pain
as they realized the bindings
of a clichéd heavenly match
for me its not a matter of hate
maybe it can be termed as fear
of being ruled by a tyrant
it may seem I am demonizing
a nice prospective bride
but once crowned wife
she will be lord of my life
laying down rules day-to-day
list of chores that overflows
sharing sovereign couch
conceding TV remote
and then watch in horror
as dark days descend on me
and filled with sarcasm
will run around asking
my friends when they marrying

p.s. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

What I am doing, when I am not working

Nowadays I am too busy. Ok, not in the truest sense. But yeah, in a way. So I am busy watching Star Wars. Not one movie, all the 6 movies. Since I don't have luxury of time. I have only finished watching 3. So more to come. I have seen all the movies earlier, but I love Star Wars, so I am watching again.
This movie marathon has begun after I watched the "Alien" quadrology (4, out of which 2 are best).

Maybe I will put some reviews later, but not for now.

Oh! yes, one more thing, I am trying to see if I like any shows on Animax channel, but it is very difficult. Only one I saw was InuYasha, which wasn't exactly cool. Any tips for better shows on Animax.

So that's the movie/TV part, in music I am out of the contemporary music mode, and diving straight into 80's music, I agree KISS are not best of its era, but. I like their songs. After KISS, it will be Doors.

So take care guys, will be back with some decent post and not one-liner post like this.

This is Sankoo-Skywalker signing off. May the force be with you.

Khatta Meetha : Movie Review

Let us first talk about the hatred of critics and "so-called" sophisticated moviegoers with regards to Akshay Kumar and his movies.

He never claims any of his movies to be life-changing movies with a social message or poignant dramas.

Still if they find out Akki's movie is comedy they go expecting Hera-Pheri.

If they know that it is action, they think they will get Die Hard.

If it is serious they think it will be a satritical/black comedy etc like RDB, rajneeti, dr strangelove.

If he does something different like Tasverr 8x10, they don't even bother to watch
and so on.

When in reality his movies are really simple, they try to entertain, banking on him, and trying to sell to people what they had liked in him.

Of course most of the aforementioned people dislike it.

They complain he doesn't experiment like Aamir Mamu, well since his efforts are never appreciated he doesn't mind the mindless entertainers.  At least, that way, he keeps getting paid and so do the film technicians and also the film critics. 

Well since I am not a critic, but just a movie lover. Lets not fall into same Akki-bashing routine.

Lets talk about Akki's latest movie.

It is khatta-meetha.

Its like eating noodles, as you slurp the noodles, it takes time for the long noodle to end up in your mouth, only then releasing true mix of taste. But not everyone likes noodles.

So in short its a mix of comedy-melodrama-social issue-action in typical Akki style.

Johnny lever in cameo is hilarious as usual.

Rajpal Yadav stay in character, plays it best in his style.

Akshay Kumar grips each scene and keeps you entertained.

Other good actors in different roles are competent and not sloppy.

Trisha Krishnan may not win too many fans due to her looks, but then her acting was also not superb. While Urvashi Sharma looks stunning.

Direction and camera work has no fault. Like I said, plot is like a bowl of noodles.

Dialogues are witty/sarcastic when trying to be funny, yet the social awareness ones are not too preachy.

A song or two feels forced.

First half is stretched too long.

Since it doesn't cater to any specific kind of audience, it maybe its only biggest disadvantage.

It has little bit of everything, but not everything for everyone to like it.

So all those with expectations of avantgarde cinema, stay at home. Others who don't mind giving Akshay Kumar a chance to impress you, then give it a try.

Inception: quick movie review

Watched Inception, and I want to watch it again. Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio fans shouldn't miss this. If that is enough reason for you to watch this sci-fi/action/thriller, then don't think any more, just go and watch it. 

For others who are less convinced, here are a few more reasons.

It cannot be slotted as sci-fi or thriller or action/adventure. It is something of all. 

Go with an open mind, you will enjoy it. Go with skeptical mind, you will analyze and debate it.

Acting is perfect, style and cinematography is pristine. 

No over the top special effects. 

Pacy and intricate storyline, competent plot, sufficient thrill, open ended climax and a mysteriously enticing intelligent concept backing it up.