King of Pain

Woke up in agony at 3:30 in the morning today. The pain was just incredible - couldn't lie down, couldn't sit, couldn't stand. Took a dose of pain killers, but by the time it kicked in I had been through hell.

So went to HOSMAT without further delay (should have gone there the first day itself, of course). Doc takes an x-ray, mutters something and says I've got a pain in the neck. It masquerades as a pulled muscle, but is apparently due to a thingamajig between my neck bones. I've signed up for a week of physiotherapy at HOSMAT, starting today. And oh yes, he also recommended the tablets which asked me to take. Thanks, buddy.

Anyway, I guess that's enough on the subject.

I've almost completed Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. Its not bad, but of course nowhere near his best. To my mind, these are the best of King:

1. Salems Lot
2. Night Shift, a collection of short stories
3. It
4. The Stand
5. The Shining

PJ for the day

Q: Who is Joe ?

A: Kambhakt Ishq, because "Kambhakt Ishq Hai Joe...."

Hey, I'm just the messenger ! :-)

Monday Morning

First the bad news:

My home PC refused to start on Saturday. No amount of coaxing could make it budge. I've put in an SOS to Vinod Chandran, my dealer. The strange thing is that Mr Chandran now sells Pru-ICICI insurance policies. So though sympathetic, he was more interested in selling me life insurance. I'll wait for a day or two before calling someone else.

and , you can take it easy for some time. I wont be regaling you with my movie reviews till my PC gets cured. And , you wont get to watch LOTR till this gets fixed too.

I've learned to live with my back pain now. It greets me every morning as I rise, brings me coffee, sings with me in the bathroom, etc.

The good news was that Sindha was home. The weekend got over in two hours.

Awaiting the weekend...

Aaah, the weekend approaches. Look forward to a good two days, as Sindha will be home. Moreover, my product release went off well and everything looks under control. Till the next fire, of course !

Haven't seen any new movies, after lots of hate mail from my fellow bloggers and . No, I'm kidding. Just didn't have the time, though I managed to watch American Pie 2 on my laptop the other day. Didn't like it very much, old pie on new pan.

Have a good weekend, everyone !

Budhavara

Funny kind of day. Had meetings all day long. The product release was today. The Airtel salesman came down, as did a sales rep fromParasmoney. This is a company which helps you in managing your money. Or so they claim.

In spite of the above, I still managed to do some TP like uploading a couple of pictures to use on Live journal, play around with the settings, etc.

dropped by and left a couple of CDs to burn. Didn't get to meet him though, as I was in a meeting.

Am reading Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. Hasn't started well, unlike other King books which start well and then fizzle out. Maybe it will turn out all right in the end.

Mobile pain

Bought an Ericsson cell phone for Sindha yesterday. Plan to go in for a scheme where she can call and receive calls from my number for free, and I need pay just Rs 75 a month to call up any Airtel number. The salesman from Airtel didn't turn up today though...

My neck and shoulders have been aching like crazy for over a week now. Trying all kinds of exercises. Maybe its my posture, maybe its driving, maybe its using the mouse too much. Maybe I need a massage.

(now why am I reminded of Pulp Fiction ? )

Lord !

Saw The Fellowship of the Ring on Divx yesterday. Absolutely fantastic. Its a great adventure yarn which should appeal even to those who haven't read Tolkien. In fact - dare I say it - it could be better than the book !

The movie starts off with a nice prologue which gives you a brief idea of the one ring and its origin, thus giving the film a linear look which wasn't so evident in the book (the story of the ring appears in the middle of the first book, narrated by Elrond). The tempo builds up as the fellowship is formed and the travel begins. The sequences in the mines of Moria are spectacular. But to me the best - and most chilling - part of the movie was the picturisation of the Ringwraiths. The Nazgul Riders are truly awesome, you tremble with Frodo and the other hobbits as they approach, you urge the heroes on as they flee , you heave a sigh of relief as they are swept away in the flood...but you know they will be back. Awesome.

Peter Jackson has taken the best of the book, distilled it and presented it in his own vision. A lot of detail has been left out, but I do believe this will help those who are new to Tolkien. See the movie, then read the book. You'll probably enjoy both. Then of course, see the movie again !

I saw it on a small 14" monitor and loved it. What would it be like on the big screen ? I cant wait.

86.

Cool Weekend

Watched Ocean's 11 today at office. A really cool movie. The music is just right, the actors play their parts to perfection, the director never insults your intelligence and the ambience is spot on. The last crime caper I enjoyed like this was The Sting.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt take the definition of being cool to a new level. I thought Julia Roberts was wasted in a small role and Andy Garcia's character could have been developed a bit more. But no matter. Ocean's 11 is a movie you can really sink your teeth into. Delicious. I'd give it a 73.

Oh, I also saw Don't Say a Word yesterday night. I didn't have high expectations, so cant say I was disappointed. However the movie is full of cliches and ends with the biggest of them all - climax set in a cemetery in the night, graves being dug, precious gem buried in a doll...come on, I've seen Hindi films which have done this better. The first half was watchable, though. 41.

Deb and were with me for the movie and dinner thereafter. Had a good time, helped a bit by Senor Bacardi.

Kay three ji

Ha ! Did it. Saw the darned thing on my comp, at office on a lonely Saturday.

Amitabh is good, so is Kajol. Mr. Khan walks away with the Hammy and Ms Kareena Kapoor gets the Darji award for saving lots of money on clothes. There is this itty bitty red dress which she wears...and the pink..and the black..wish she looked half as pretty as she thinks she is. The story is about rich daddy Amitabh and estranged rich son Shah Rukh who are brought together by rich second son Hrithik. The women (not so rich) are either elderly, middle aged or young, making them daadi-maas, maas and soniyas. A kid sings Jana Gana Mana, Amitabh sings Aati Kya Khandala, Rani Mukherji sings Happy Birthday and Yash Johar sings all the way to the bank.

This film gets 34 on my scale, only because of Kajol and the Big B. Eminently avoidable.



Q: What do you call a bisexual male ?

A: Kabhi Pussy Kabhie Bum !

Hyuk Hyuk !

Weak days

Sindha and I really should learn Kannada. Or at least mug up the days of the week in Hindi, since I think they share the same root. All we know now are Budhavara and Shanivara, as they are similar in Malayalam. The conversation last Sunday between Sindha and our maid servant Lingamma, went like this.

Lingamma : "so when should I come next ?" (in Kannada)
Sindha: "Tuesday banni"
Lingamma: "eh ?"
Sindha: "Tuesday....er...chovva varam banni. Chovvazhcha"
Lingamma: "eh ?"
Sindha sighs and says: "Budhavaram banni".

Postscript: Its Thursday today and Lingamma hasn't turned up yet

T & L and HP & PS

Saw Thelma and Louise yesterday. Liked it a lot - lovely acting, photography and music. Great ending too. I'd give this movie a score of 75.

I don't think I mentioned that I saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the other day with Sindha. VCD, of course. The print was good and the conversation was clear, thank heavens. Did I like it ? Sure I did, as I liked the book. Watching the movie gives you a feeling that you are reading the book, it more or less pictures things the way you had imagined them. 70 points, on my new scale of rating movies.


This scale shamelessly copies the rating used by the old Mr Showbiz site some time back before they shut down. Scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the best. A few sample ratings:

The Godfather - 90
Raging Bull - 92
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - 55
Sholay - 95
..etc

Pirate of the 21st Century

Ran into some Divx stuff - lots of movies, amazing quality. Found out a good web page where one can get tools to convert these files into formats which can be played on vcd players. What more can one ask for ? Bliss...Of course, this is all theory. Need to try it out and confirm if everything works.

Hot Topic of the Day - was voted as the Man of the Year in a recent Web event. Bravo, Mujib ! We always knew you had it in you !

Sindha has gone back to Manipal. We were together for over 2 weeks, what with Christmas, New Year and other stuff. Being separated after a long time together is tough.

Kichan might be coming over to Bangalore to prepare for his Civil Services prelims. I am on the lookout for good coaching centers. Haven't zeroed in on anything yet.

Busy Me

Busy with work at office. The next release is coming out in a couple of weeks.

Sindha is home for a few days. Life's good lately.

A New Year !

Probably doesn't mean anything, since time is a human invention. Anyway, hope it will be a happy one for you and me and everyone.