Why can't short people ever be snobs?
Because they can't look down on people!!!
(It's an old one, but will do!)
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Lesser Devil 1
As a child, I was always encouraged to stand up for what I believe in, without hesitation or fear. And today, when I post this article about my preference for the Indian National Congress (INC) over other parties of our polity, I know I am braving the wrath of the middle class, the anti-reservationists, the poor farmers, the labour unions, most of my friends, etc. or at least I think I am. Anyway, here I am and here I post.
Most people say India is better off without the INC. Most people say India could have been much better if not for the the INC. Most people say INC is responsible for most of India's shortcomings. Most people say INC is the reason for all the filth in India. And most probably, you are one of them.
Well, I have news for you, then. This very party fought for and won for us, independence. This very party gave us our proudest heritage-democracy. This very party ensured us 61 years of the Nation. This very party gave us years of uninhibited growth. This very party gave us the higher education institutions, the ones that we work so hard to get admission into. This very party connected the Nation like never before with highways and telecommunication. This very party set up the Navratnas, the pillars of Indian industry. This very party set up the irrigation projects that bring deliverance to our farmers and their farms. This very party gave us the technology for the Great Indian Bomb.
This does not wish away the sins of the INC, though. They have been party to deep-rooted corruption, maladroit administrations, communal politics, witch-hunting and all other like-maladies, but then politics is power and power corrupts. And so too, with the INC. People talk about alternatives to the Congress. Are these alternatives better than the Congress? Nah, not by a far shot. In fact, the Congress has time and again proven to be the best alternative among the lot and not, without reason.
The Congress seems to be the 'party with a difference' and unlike its rivals, does not stop at just claiming that. It delivers, in part or full, the promises it makes. The reasons for my believing so, I will cite in one of my following posts.
And so, my vote will always be for The Lesser Devil, the Indian National Congress.
Most people say India is better off without the INC. Most people say India could have been much better if not for the the INC. Most people say INC is responsible for most of India's shortcomings. Most people say INC is the reason for all the filth in India. And most probably, you are one of them.
Well, I have news for you, then. This very party fought for and won for us, independence. This very party gave us our proudest heritage-democracy. This very party ensured us 61 years of the Nation. This very party gave us years of uninhibited growth. This very party gave us the higher education institutions, the ones that we work so hard to get admission into. This very party connected the Nation like never before with highways and telecommunication. This very party set up the Navratnas, the pillars of Indian industry. This very party set up the irrigation projects that bring deliverance to our farmers and their farms. This very party gave us the technology for the Great Indian Bomb.
This does not wish away the sins of the INC, though. They have been party to deep-rooted corruption, maladroit administrations, communal politics, witch-hunting and all other like-maladies, but then politics is power and power corrupts. And so too, with the INC. People talk about alternatives to the Congress. Are these alternatives better than the Congress? Nah, not by a far shot. In fact, the Congress has time and again proven to be the best alternative among the lot and not, without reason.
The Congress seems to be the 'party with a difference' and unlike its rivals, does not stop at just claiming that. It delivers, in part or full, the promises it makes. The reasons for my believing so, I will cite in one of my following posts.
And so, my vote will always be for The Lesser Devil, the Indian National Congress.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The idiot box deserves an idiot joke!
What is the difference between a wife and a TV?
TV turns on when wife doesn't !
TV turns on when wife doesn't !
a sis joke...
(Fictitious!)
I have a cousin who keeps herself up to date with all the gossip about the family. Out of affection, we call her 'Info-sis'!
I have a cousin who keeps herself up to date with all the gossip about the family. Out of affection, we call her 'Info-sis'!
Monday, June 16, 2008
I hate sandwiches!!! Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay - The Review.
I watched Harold Lee and Kumar Patel indulge themselves in riotous fantasies such as riding a cheetah, doing time and then, escaping from a racist county prison, getting stoned to hysteric levels and yes, eating thirty juicy White Castle burgers and four crunchy French fries at one go. Yum...Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle was a delicacy! And now, they dish out the sequel, which is nothing short of a feast!
That's right! Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanomo Bay is as good as the first edition if not better. If not for Harold's cursing and swearing at Kumar for getting them into fix after fix, then watch it for Kumar's apology to Harold at the end. This is not a brainless comedy, as many people presume it to be. It has a tight storyline, albeit one with crazy sub-plots and even crazier characters.
The movie starts off at the precise moment the prequel ended. Harold in the bath and Kumar in the toilet...it starts with a bang! Anyway, our two lead roles are on their way to Amsterdam to surprise Maria, Harold's big-time crush, and to win her over. At the airport, they come across Vanessa, Kumar's ex from college. For a fleeting moment, you get to see Kumar again in love until Vanessa's fiance shows up. Apparently he is a person Kumar always hated. All said and done, Vanessa and her fiance move on. And Kumar, the crackpot comes back again into the fold. This time, he wants to smoke weed in the toilet of the plane. He has invented a new device called a, hold your breath, 'Bong', which is most probably a vaporizer. The events that follow are ludicrous, to say the least. On a serious note however, it highlights the paranoid-like phobia that Americans have of all ethnic races.
At this point, Ron Fox makes his entry. The devious official is out to make life hell for Harold and Kumar and obviously, decides that both are going to Guantanamo Bay. Watch the movie to see what they are subjected to, in Guantanamo Bay. It is hilarious. Seriously it is, but, a satirical version of the sad truth behind G-bay. As you watch this movie, you realize some really responsible messages emerging out of it.
If you liked their escaping from the county prison in the prequel, you will love their escaping from Guantanamo Bay. This is the point where you begin to hate sandwiches. Trust me, you will! Escaping successfully, they end up at their friend's place, where a trend-setting party is going on. Don't miss this part! You will also know why they did not release the movie in India at this juncture. Ohhhh! Meanwhile, their parents are grilled by Ron Fox. The scene in which Ron Fox's interpretor asks Harold's Korean parents questions in Korean and to which they answer in crisp English is really amusing. In disguise, it is actually a critique of the way America treats its immigrant population.
Back to Harold and Kumar. They borrow the friend's car and decide to drive to Texas. On the way, they come across a Ku Klux Klan meeting. The obvious happens. They take the places of two knocked-out members, laugh with the Klan members and then are exposed, when the missing members return. They are pursued until finally, Neil Patrick Harris shows up. The three of them resume their drive to Texas. In the meantime, a couple of their friends are rounded up for interrogation by Ron Fox. I had a real kick after watching this scene. Ron Fox tempts them by spilling gold coins from a pouch in front of them. One of them is Jewish and the other I do not know. They resist the temptation. However, once Ron Fox exits, they decide to pocket the coins. That takes the cake, really!
On their way to Texas, Harold, Kumar and Harris are intercepted at a checkpoint set up by Ron Fox. I had a really good laugh at Fox's bungling here. He allows them to move on. He is a Harris fan and so, he decides to let Harris without checking the car, over-ruling the responsible police official. It is again a veiled mockery of the American government's failure to act when needed and reckless intervention when not needed. Harris is again in his elements here, sighting a white unicorn and eating mushrooms by the dozen. They stop at a brothel, where they hope to have some fun. I will not reveal what happens in the brothel as it is too funny a scene to divulge any information about. Watch the movie and you will be in splits at this juncture. Here again, the movie makes fun of America's gun culture.
The brothel incident past them, Harold and Kumar make it to Texas. They go to Vanessa's fiance, who apparently, is a young ambitious wanna-be politician. It is comical to watch Harold rebuke Kumar and order him to stay put in the car. Kumar, wanting to obey Harold's writ for once, tries hard but falters. Vanessa trips on her ankle and Kumar leaps out to be her knight of the moment. Meanwhile, her fiance assures them of all help possible, but sells out to Ron Fox. Needless to say, they are all on their way back to G-bay, when the responsible NSA chief confronts Fox. In the melee, Harold and Kumar fall out of the plane, albeit with parachutes, and land in, oh my god, George Bush's summer retreat. Here on till the climax, the movie is brilliant. You will realize it when you watch it.
So, watch the movie for some really good laughs and kicks. Hats off to the directors for deriving some serious messages to the audience through critical humor. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is one movie you should not miss for the world. Well-knit in satire and humor, the characters are well-cast with a near-seamless transition from its predecessor. On the whole, the movie is more about loving America than anything else. Let that not hinder you, though. :)
At the same time, I would strongly recommend you to watch it alone or with friends and definitely not, with family!
Harold and Kumar rule!
My Verdict - 4.5/5
That's right! Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanomo Bay is as good as the first edition if not better. If not for Harold's cursing and swearing at Kumar for getting them into fix after fix, then watch it for Kumar's apology to Harold at the end. This is not a brainless comedy, as many people presume it to be. It has a tight storyline, albeit one with crazy sub-plots and even crazier characters.
The movie starts off at the precise moment the prequel ended. Harold in the bath and Kumar in the toilet...it starts with a bang! Anyway, our two lead roles are on their way to Amsterdam to surprise Maria, Harold's big-time crush, and to win her over. At the airport, they come across Vanessa, Kumar's ex from college. For a fleeting moment, you get to see Kumar again in love until Vanessa's fiance shows up. Apparently he is a person Kumar always hated. All said and done, Vanessa and her fiance move on. And Kumar, the crackpot comes back again into the fold. This time, he wants to smoke weed in the toilet of the plane. He has invented a new device called a, hold your breath, 'Bong', which is most probably a vaporizer. The events that follow are ludicrous, to say the least. On a serious note however, it highlights the paranoid-like phobia that Americans have of all ethnic races.
At this point, Ron Fox makes his entry. The devious official is out to make life hell for Harold and Kumar and obviously, decides that both are going to Guantanamo Bay. Watch the movie to see what they are subjected to, in Guantanamo Bay. It is hilarious. Seriously it is, but, a satirical version of the sad truth behind G-bay. As you watch this movie, you realize some really responsible messages emerging out of it.
If you liked their escaping from the county prison in the prequel, you will love their escaping from Guantanamo Bay. This is the point where you begin to hate sandwiches. Trust me, you will! Escaping successfully, they end up at their friend's place, where a trend-setting party is going on. Don't miss this part! You will also know why they did not release the movie in India at this juncture. Ohhhh! Meanwhile, their parents are grilled by Ron Fox. The scene in which Ron Fox's interpretor asks Harold's Korean parents questions in Korean and to which they answer in crisp English is really amusing. In disguise, it is actually a critique of the way America treats its immigrant population.
Back to Harold and Kumar. They borrow the friend's car and decide to drive to Texas. On the way, they come across a Ku Klux Klan meeting. The obvious happens. They take the places of two knocked-out members, laugh with the Klan members and then are exposed, when the missing members return. They are pursued until finally, Neil Patrick Harris shows up. The three of them resume their drive to Texas. In the meantime, a couple of their friends are rounded up for interrogation by Ron Fox. I had a real kick after watching this scene. Ron Fox tempts them by spilling gold coins from a pouch in front of them. One of them is Jewish and the other I do not know. They resist the temptation. However, once Ron Fox exits, they decide to pocket the coins. That takes the cake, really!
On their way to Texas, Harold, Kumar and Harris are intercepted at a checkpoint set up by Ron Fox. I had a really good laugh at Fox's bungling here. He allows them to move on. He is a Harris fan and so, he decides to let Harris without checking the car, over-ruling the responsible police official. It is again a veiled mockery of the American government's failure to act when needed and reckless intervention when not needed. Harris is again in his elements here, sighting a white unicorn and eating mushrooms by the dozen. They stop at a brothel, where they hope to have some fun. I will not reveal what happens in the brothel as it is too funny a scene to divulge any information about. Watch the movie and you will be in splits at this juncture. Here again, the movie makes fun of America's gun culture.
The brothel incident past them, Harold and Kumar make it to Texas. They go to Vanessa's fiance, who apparently, is a young ambitious wanna-be politician. It is comical to watch Harold rebuke Kumar and order him to stay put in the car. Kumar, wanting to obey Harold's writ for once, tries hard but falters. Vanessa trips on her ankle and Kumar leaps out to be her knight of the moment. Meanwhile, her fiance assures them of all help possible, but sells out to Ron Fox. Needless to say, they are all on their way back to G-bay, when the responsible NSA chief confronts Fox. In the melee, Harold and Kumar fall out of the plane, albeit with parachutes, and land in, oh my god, George Bush's summer retreat. Here on till the climax, the movie is brilliant. You will realize it when you watch it.
So, watch the movie for some really good laughs and kicks. Hats off to the directors for deriving some serious messages to the audience through critical humor. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is one movie you should not miss for the world. Well-knit in satire and humor, the characters are well-cast with a near-seamless transition from its predecessor. On the whole, the movie is more about loving America than anything else. Let that not hinder you, though. :)
At the same time, I would strongly recommend you to watch it alone or with friends and definitely not, with family!
Harold and Kumar rule!
My Verdict - 4.5/5
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mon chien, ma amie
A year back, if you had asked me what love was, I would have sheepishly admitted my ignorance. And I had good reason then, because I was not sure if there were anything such as true love. The closest to true love I had ever gotten was my mother's love. But a mother's love is bound by the bond of oneness. The offspring is but, a part of his mother. So, I used to wonder, what is true love? I found the answer eventually. I always thought that love should be uncompromising, unconditional and blind to the nuances of the world. And somehow, the answer conformed to this belief.
Last year, we adopted a dog - a wheatish-brown labrador. He was 12 days old when we brought him over to our place. For the first few days, he cried for his mother's warmth and love, parted as he was from her. We were absolutely distraught at his plight. So, we let him be with his mother, a two year old named Preeti, for the night. During the day, he crawled frantically and blind, desperate as he was to be with his mother. This continued for about two weeks. After that, we stopped taking him to Preeti, in line with the veterinarian's advice.
In the meantime, we christened him 'Simba', after the lead character in 'The Lion King'. Simba had opened his eyes fully now, and had started walking too. He looked a cute little fellow then, with eyes so dreamy and glassy, you wished them to be your own. His bark was hollow and mild, the kind you would associate with a pup, quite obviously! He was scared of other dogs then, intimidating as they were, fully-grown and experts at snarling. But he was naughty in every sense of the word. He used to tear up papers and broom-sticks, snap at our feet and scoot wanting us to chase him, try climbing up the bed with his tiny little feet only to fall down with a thud and engage in other like-adorable activities. And interestingly, I began to understand love a lot better.
As Simba grew, our responsibilities too grew manifold. We had to walk him six times a day. We had to coax him to eat his food, three times a day! We had to quarrel with our neighbors, irate as they were over his barking and finding his excreta right in front of their gates. We had to make sure that our gate was closed at all times, to prevent him from running into the big, bad world. Sometimes, we faltered. We were worried to death's end for about ten minutes when Simba had run out through the open gate and we could not find him. Well, we did find him, after those torrid ten minutes, playing with his mother and siblings (his mother stayed in a house on our street). We were horrified when he had those chickenpox-like infections. Fortunately, they never persisted for more than a day or two. We were scared every time we sighted a cat in our house. Luckily, Simba never developed the courage enough, as a small dog, to chase a cat. However, as he grew, our worries started to subside. Our love for him, though, only bloated up. Maybe, true love is never about responsibilities because it out-weighs them anyway.
His love for us has never subsided. He springs on us (when we return home) with the same gusto and zeal as he used to, when he was a pup. He sulks the same way he used to, when he was a pup. He wags his tail enthusiastically, whenever someone calls on us. We are worried that he might walk away with a burglar, wagging his tail. My father, who initially was apathetic towards dogs, is today an admirer (And trust me, my father is a difficult man to change!). One of my good friends is a scared lot when any other dog approaches him. He is not afraid of Simba, though, and for good reason. Simba is not just a dog. He is a bundle of endless love. Maybe, that is the power of true love - to stay undiminished over time and to banish indifference and fear.
Today, everybody in our street know Simba. They call Simba the friendly neighbourhood dog. And they dote upon Simba like never before, petting him affectionately and enquiring about him, as I walk him down our street. True love does that, I guess. It wins over everybody, sooner or later.
As for me, I will always be grateful to Simba. He answered my question.
My dog, my friend.
Last year, we adopted a dog - a wheatish-brown labrador. He was 12 days old when we brought him over to our place. For the first few days, he cried for his mother's warmth and love, parted as he was from her. We were absolutely distraught at his plight. So, we let him be with his mother, a two year old named Preeti, for the night. During the day, he crawled frantically and blind, desperate as he was to be with his mother. This continued for about two weeks. After that, we stopped taking him to Preeti, in line with the veterinarian's advice.
In the meantime, we christened him 'Simba', after the lead character in 'The Lion King'. Simba had opened his eyes fully now, and had started walking too. He looked a cute little fellow then, with eyes so dreamy and glassy, you wished them to be your own. His bark was hollow and mild, the kind you would associate with a pup, quite obviously! He was scared of other dogs then, intimidating as they were, fully-grown and experts at snarling. But he was naughty in every sense of the word. He used to tear up papers and broom-sticks, snap at our feet and scoot wanting us to chase him, try climbing up the bed with his tiny little feet only to fall down with a thud and engage in other like-adorable activities. And interestingly, I began to understand love a lot better.
As Simba grew, our responsibilities too grew manifold. We had to walk him six times a day. We had to coax him to eat his food, three times a day! We had to quarrel with our neighbors, irate as they were over his barking and finding his excreta right in front of their gates. We had to make sure that our gate was closed at all times, to prevent him from running into the big, bad world. Sometimes, we faltered. We were worried to death's end for about ten minutes when Simba had run out through the open gate and we could not find him. Well, we did find him, after those torrid ten minutes, playing with his mother and siblings (his mother stayed in a house on our street). We were horrified when he had those chickenpox-like infections. Fortunately, they never persisted for more than a day or two. We were scared every time we sighted a cat in our house. Luckily, Simba never developed the courage enough, as a small dog, to chase a cat. However, as he grew, our worries started to subside. Our love for him, though, only bloated up. Maybe, true love is never about responsibilities because it out-weighs them anyway.
His love for us has never subsided. He springs on us (when we return home) with the same gusto and zeal as he used to, when he was a pup. He sulks the same way he used to, when he was a pup. He wags his tail enthusiastically, whenever someone calls on us. We are worried that he might walk away with a burglar, wagging his tail. My father, who initially was apathetic towards dogs, is today an admirer (And trust me, my father is a difficult man to change!). One of my good friends is a scared lot when any other dog approaches him. He is not afraid of Simba, though, and for good reason. Simba is not just a dog. He is a bundle of endless love. Maybe, that is the power of true love - to stay undiminished over time and to banish indifference and fear.
Today, everybody in our street know Simba. They call Simba the friendly neighbourhood dog. And they dote upon Simba like never before, petting him affectionately and enquiring about him, as I walk him down our street. True love does that, I guess. It wins over everybody, sooner or later.
As for me, I will always be grateful to Simba. He answered my question.
My dog, my friend.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Memorably Yours!
I am a 2007 pass-out VTU engineer. My juniors keep telling me that they want their academic lives to be as memorable as possible. When they ask me for suggestions, I ask them to flunk in an exam or two!!! Lol!!!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Analogy of the Millenium!!!
Spotted on the rear windscreen of a car -
"Love is Rose,
Rose is Red,
Red is Danger,
So, beware of Love!!!"
"Love is Rose,
Rose is Red,
Red is Danger,
So, beware of Love!!!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)