And just like that January is gone! My strategy of sitting back and watching 2016 unfold is paying off so far. Things are already not going my way (LOL!) but at least I'm not stressing myself out over them. Instead I'm accepting things as they happen and moving on.

There's stress when there are expectations. 2015 was a mixed bag of a year for me (and that's much better than the last few years). It was mostly nice - I was on a break from work (a 365 day vacation!), I traveled extensively, I spent a lot of time with family & friends. I felt blessed and grateful. But I did not necessarily get the things I wanted and worked towards. Therefore I decided that my strategy for 2016 would be to do my bit towards my goals & desires, then sit back and watch the year unfold.

January has been a mixed bag already. I had a short but fun-filled vacation with family, and I became an aunt for the very first time! To a beautiful niece (born on Republic Day, so she'll never have to crib about having to work on her birthday)!! The downside was that something I was really hopeful about fell through :(

But onwards & upwards I go. I have a few things to look forward to over the next two months - my sister's visit, a holiday with my girl friends that I'm super excited about, and the beginning of a health initiative. Rest of the things will work out as they are meant to.

Here's to a heart-warming February for all of us.

   

Tag Time

I want to write. But I have nothing to say. So I've picked up this tag from Melee :)

What are you wearing right now?
Leggings, top & cardigan and cozily ensconced in my blanket. It's too cold brrrrr...

How tall are you?
5'3" and not happy with it at all! I would've liked another 3-4 inches :(

How much do you weigh?
Enough not to want to share with the whole world :)

Any tattoos?
None and hopefully will never have one either. I'm not a tattoo person AT ALL.

Piercings?
Ears and nose.

Favourite show?
'Friends' & 'Masterchef Australia' are all-time favourites. I can watch 'Friends' over & over and 'MC Aus' is just the most feel good show in the world for me. 'Big Bang Theory' is a close second.

Something you miss?
My undergraduate years - oh, what would I give to have those years back in the town I spent them in with the people I spent them with!
A few places where I've lived over the years - Chapel Hill, Chicago, Sydney
My first love - it's true, you never really forget your first love. Although I mostly miss the friendship.
Being 15 kilos lighter :D

Favourite song
There are many songs I love. I think we stop having A favourite song once life gets real :)

Zodian sign
Pisces. I'm quite a Piscean and I don't quite like it. I don't like the emotional and indecisive aspects of being a Piscean.

Quality you look for in a partner?
Kind, loyal, non-egoistic, non-self centered, sensitive, not too much of an extrovert but not too introverted either (I like men who are witty but have a mature aura about them :), liberal & progressive. Actually, this is a wrong question to ask a woman. Don't we want it all?!

Favourite actor?
Leo Leo Leo! And Tom Hanks. Amongst the women Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are always delightful.

Favourite colour?
Again, I like a lot of colours. Orange, yellow, mustard, pink (but not all shades of pink), fuschia, teal, sea green...but the colour that dominates my wardrobe is white. I'm not a big fan of rust & maroon.

Loud music or soft?
Preferably soft

Where do you go when you're sad?
Nowhere. I tend to internalize my sadness. That's my way of dealing with it.

How long does it take you to shower?
Oh, forever! 40-45 minutes if I'm shampooing & conditioning my hair, else 30-35 minutes. Don't ask me what I do in there for so long...I have no clue myself.

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
2.5 hours from the time I get out of bed. The time I spend having my coffee and catching up on Facebook and the news is my me-time, and I just don't like rushing it at all. This is followed by ironing my clothes for the day, showering, pottering about doing God knows what, breakfast, and hurriedly getting ready in 5 minutes before I dart out the door!

Ever been in a physical fight?
Nope. Unless wrestling with your sibling when you're little counts.

Turn on?
Intelligence, wit, a man who smells nice, a stylish/well-dressed man. good manners.

Turn off?
Rude, cocky, arrogant people, self-centered people, lack of kindness, lack of manners.

Fears?
Losing my parents. I just absolutely can't imagine my life without them. Also, I'm bloody scared of having a baby...yikes!!

Last thing that made you cry?
Can't remember really. As a rule I cry whenever some intensely patriotic song comes on TV. And the 'Ma' song.

Last time you said you loved someone?
I tell someone or the other that I love them almost everyday (and I mean it of course!). Clearly I don't believe in  'let actions speak louder than words' when it comes to expressing my love for people :D

Last book you read?
Haruki Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood'

The book you're currently reading?
Something from the 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' series. I love going back to this series and Bridget Jones every once in a while. They're such pick-me-up books.

Last person you talked to?
My sister :)

The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
Friends

Place you want to visit?
Many! First on the list is Europe particularly Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic followed by the Scandinavian countries. Iceland - the pictures are simply breathtaking! Then South America and New Zealand. Yes, pretty much the whole world :P

Do you have a crush?
No?

Favourite piece of jewellery?
A pair of gold coloured earrings and bracelet that can jazz up pretty much any outfit.

Last song you sang?
Humein tumse pyaar kitna...

The Loss of Innocence

Innocence is bliss. You know the kind of people who don't really know much about this world...they've had a protected existence all their lives, have never been hurt by anyone, never got let down by a friend, never had their hearts broken, never had to fend for themselves in the big bad world, and therefore all they see is goodness in people and in the world around them, and all they know is to love and care?

I wonder how it's possible to remain untouched by the cruelty of life yet I know such people do exist. I know a few such people myself. I don't remember the last time I was that innocent and I wonder - how nice would it be to have that innocence back! To believe once again that the world is a beautiful place and people have only goodness in their hearts and love begets love.

If wishes were horses...

2016

2015 was kind to me. That's right, kind. The past few years have been difficult, brutal even. So having a year where nothing bad happened seemed like a small miracle. It was an year spent surrounded by family & friends in an emotionally nourishing environment, enjoying the small pleasures of life. It wasn't completely devoid of stress and I didn't get everything I wanted, but I had more than a lot of people have and this realization changed my attitude towards life.

2015 made me grateful for everything I have. There was a quote I read that impacted me deeply and changed my perspective - you always have SOMETHING to be grateful for. Whether it's family, a great set of friends or a well-paying job that let's us afford the things we want there is ALWAYS ALWAYS something to be thankful for. But we are so focused on being miserable over the things we don't have that we can't appreciate the things we have, and therefore end up being unhappy.

So I head in to 2016 with the following thoughts:

1. Trust the universe. It has plans for me. Things will come my way that are good for me. I realized that I didn't get certain things I wanted because they were not good for me. They wouldn't have led to a happy outcome in the long run anyway. So I have to believe that something better is on its way to me.

2. I need to be kinder to myself. I need to love and value myself more, and let go/walk away from people or situations that make me feel unhappy.

3. I need to be more grateful for everything I have. I have people in my life (parents, siblings, friends) who love me and would go to great lengths to see me happy. I have food to eat, a house to live in, clothes to wear. I can afford most of the things I want. That's much more than a lot of people have. Once I learn to be grateful for everything I do have I will be OK with things I don't have.

4. Just go with the flow. Stop fighting the flow. See what happens. I do believe that whatever happens is for the good. Remember the Universe? It has plans for me :)

So yes, 2015 was a year for a lot of contemplation, introspection, epiphanies and spiritual & emotional evolution. I can't wait to see what 2016 brings. Here's wishing you & your's a happy, healthy & fulfilling 2016.

MasterChef Australia : Top 10

First of all, I apologize for another MC Aus post...but just indulge me, will you? :)

Secondly...spoiler alert! This post is on the contestants who have made it to the Top 10 this year, which hasn't been aired in India yet.

MC Aus is witnessing some intense competition right now and I'm really happy about the cooks who have made it to the Top 10. Each of them deserves to be there. Here's my take on them and who I think has the best chance of taking the title out (no one cares, I know, but it makes me happy so I'm going to do it anyway :)

Billie - Moonshine's favourite and now one of my favourites too, besides Georgia! I liked her since the beginning but she didn't get as much air time as Georgia (who is the cute, cherubic kinds) as she's quieter...not too expressive. I really started rooting for her after watching her in a very tough elimination challenge where they had to cook a very technical dish. The other contestants were extremely frazzled and not able to keep up with time but Billie was so focused and on top of things throughout the cook. She also got the best dish up, and that's when I realized what a great shot she has at winning this competition. Her strengths: very clever with what she cooks, cooks delicious food and very calm under pressure. We are yet to see a chink in her armour! While many other contestants break down under pressure she just gets her head down and does what she needs to do, and that is a great asset to have in a high pressure format like MC.

Georgia - Yayyy Georgia!! She's a very talented cook no doubt but she also has a very warm and cute personality. It's tough to dislike her. She has ended up in elimination twice because of the idiot John but she is such a forgiving and positive person. Like Billie she too is very clever with what she cooks and gets her dishes tasted a majority of the time. She's my favourite but strangely I can't find much to write about her...she's just so good all round!!

Jessica - Another talented cook (what the hell, they're all talented at this stage!), big on flavour. Came closest to beating a professional chef in an immunity challenge. I think she has it in her to reach the Top 5...not sure if she can win though.

Jessy - She made a dessert that the judges voted as THE BEST dish they had tasted on MC ever, so definitely a top contender for the title. She has a good understanding of the 'process' of cooking...what would work and what wouldn't, which means she makes fewer mistakes than others. She may end up in the finals, who knows!

Rose - Like most people I too had written Rose off early as she did not impress as much in the auditions as the other cooks. The dish she cooked in the first round of auditions wasn't up to the mark but the judges gave her another chance as they saw potential. She didn't knock their socks off in the second round either but did enough to make it in to the Top 24. From there on she struggled trying to be true to her Lebanese/Middle Eastern roots vs. plate dishes that were more Australian/European in taste. What she did do was survive every elimination she found herself in - and she has been in almost all of them - but now she's going strong. She's usually cooking dishes that are flavourful and homely, well liked by the judges, but I'm not sure that's enough to catapult her into the finals.

Amy - I like Amy...she's a good cook, really strong with Asian flavours, particularly Vietnamese. But sometimes she makes silly mistakes like not getting everything she cooks on to the plate, which in the final stages of the competition can be the difference between staying on vs. going home. Therefore, I don't really see her winning the competition.

Ashleigh - She has her ups and downs. She's usually on a roll with desserts, wobbly with savoury dishes. Goes on a spiral of self-doubt from time to time which reflects on the food she puts up. She's also really shy, introverted and hates being in the limelight, so it's a surprise she signed up for a TV show!! I don't really see her making it into the Top 5.

Sara - Hmmmm...comes across as arrogant and cocky. Definitely an attention seeker. But she's a good cook. She started off strong but has been struggling of late. I can maybe see her in the Top 5 but given how consistently good Billie, Georgia and Jessy are as cooks I don't really see Sara in the finals. On one of the previous seasons though she could definitely have made it.

Matthew - Awwww....warm and fuzzy....sweetheart. He has come to his team's rescue quite a few times salvaging dishes that are on their way to disaster, lending a helping hand to those who're drowning. Has a good understanding of food but isn't as dynamic a cook as some of the others, so I can't really see him in the finals.

Reynold - He has definitely been the surprise of this year for me, besides Rose. He's quiet but a very strong cook. Very inventive and modern age...the judges love him for that reason. He's exceptional with desserts...often comes up with elements one can't even think of! Really talented with presentation. He's done well with savoury dishes too. I won't be surprised if he makes it to the finals!

So these are the wonderful Top 10. I'm so glad John is out of the competition. He has shown that neither can he be a good leader (he made some very stupid decisions in a recent team challenge just to prove a point, despite pleas from his team mates and advice from the judges...this led his entire team in to elimination), nor a good team member (in an earlier team challenge he showed complete disregard for his team members because he wanted to impress the judges, once again causing his entire team to go in to elimination). He also refuses to learn - throughout the competition the judges have been consistently giving him the same feedback to not over-complicate things in a bid to impress - but he refused to take it on board and that ultimately became his downfall.

So who do I see making it to the finals? Although I would love to see a Billie vs. Georgia final (and then I won't know who to support!!) but I think it's a toss up amongst Billie, Georgia, Jessy and Reynold.

What do you think??

Dil Dhadakne Do

'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' is one of my all-time favourite movies. I watch it every time it airs on TV, at least in part, and want to live my own version of it with my girl friends. I also loved the shortie that Zoya Akhtar made for 'Bombay Talkies' - a small boy who loves to dress up in costumes and dance, and the pressure he faces from his family to act like a boy and not a girl. It was a touching story told compellingly in 30 minutes.

Naturally, I was looking forward to 'Dil Dhadakne Do'. I had read that it was a story about a brother-sister relationship and with a stellar cast comprising of Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, PC and Ranveer Singh (yes, Anushka Sharma as well but I just can't get myself to like her regardless of what she does), I thought it would pack a punch. Zoya Akhtar can really express the voice of our generation in a realistic and impactful way. However, DDD was anything but that!

I thought it was a classic case of a good concept let down by poor execution (pardon my market researcher voice ;)

Zoya had a couple of good messages on hand - existence of gender inequality even amongst the creme-de-la-creme of Indian society, and how important it is to give the people you love the freedom to live their lives in the way that they want. These messages really resonated with me. I've been so fortunate to grow up in a family where I have experienced neither gender inequality (or seen it happening to my cousins), nor a stifling of my freedom. My parents have never stopped us from living our lives the way we wanted be it in the friends we made or the clothes we wanted to wear or the careers we wanted to pursue. Also, having grown up without a brother we never saw preferential treatment given to a boy vs. a girl, even something small as the time you need to be back home from play (neither are our parents the sort). But I know these pressures and discriminations exist in many families.

Unfortunately, the movie left me really bored. The slow pace was a killer. All through I was waiting for it to pick up pace...and when it did, in the last 15 minutes, it was in the most idiotic way! It's like Zoya & team suddenly realized that they've bored the hell out of the audience for the last 3 hours (no less!), so let's make the last 15 minutes as stupid and Bollywoody as we can.

Also, I didn't feel that the brother-sister bond coming across too strongly. Yes, there were a couple of scenes showing their camaraderie but I think with 3 hours in hand Zoya could've focused more on that relationship. Instead she chose to waste a lot of time on side characters that did not necessarily contribute as much to the storyline...like the track with Parmeet Sethi and his rival and the love story between their kids (I didn't think she needed two stories to convey that space and freedom are essential in every relationship). Or the scenes with Shefali Shah's high society friends...I mean we are all well aware of what they are like, Zoya wasn't showing anything new here.

Farhan Akhtar too was completely wasted. He hardly had much to do except a couple of scenes where he stood up for PC. Such a talented actor...so dishy...what a waste!

I loved Shefali Shah...such a terrific actress! And Ranveer too. He can be quite putting off on live tv shows with his over flowing energy but he was so restrained in the movie. He really got into the skin of the poor-little-rich-boy character.

Oh well...so much for DDD. Zoya better make up for it with her next movie. And please...give us more of Farhan Akhtar next time. Promise we won't complain! 

The Great Gatsby

The great American classic. Have you read it?

I had been intending to read this book since a long time but somehow it always got sidelined by more interesting prospects. Finally, I picked it up one fine day.

It's the story of a young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, set in an island off New York in the era that is described as the 'Roaring Twenties' in the American economic and cultural scene. Gatsby, who had an underprivileged childhood and whose income comes mainly from criminal activities, throws lavish parties that are attended by the who's who of New York society, socialites as well as wannabes. However, he doesn't attend these parties himself and so no one knows who he really is. Except his neighbor Nick who Gatsby takes a fondness to because he is the cousin of the girl Gatsby has been deeply in love with since years. The underlying theme of the novel is the contrast between the moral vacuum of high society folks and the honesty and integrity of the "common" people (shown via the sacrifices that Jay Gatsby makes for love).

Honestly, I was quite underwhelmed with the book. It's not a difficult read...not more than 200 pages if I remember correctly, and reads easily. But it takes a while to get to the point. For the most part you are wondering what the theme is, except maybe a love story between rich girl and poor boy. Then you think that there's got to be more to it - it is an all-time classic after all. The theme does become apparent towards the end of the book - maybe the author's idea was to build up to the theme - but unfortunately it's not much of a build up.

Still wondering what the hoopla surrounding this book is about, I went back to read the history of the book - apparently it was poorly received when it first came out and saw a revival only after WWII, years after F Scott Fitzgerald (the author) had died believing himself to be a literary failure. Oh, the sadness! Today not only is 'The Great Gatsby' considered a classic it is also one of the books to have earned the title of 'The Great American Novel'.

It is worth a read if you want to tick one book off the 'classics one must read' list, just don't have very high expectations.

The Mandatory MC Australia Post!

MasterChef Australia...where do I begin??

I've been a devoted follower of this show since it's debut 7 years ago. I've watched it religiously year after year, rooted for contestants I liked (Marion Grasby from one of the earlier seasons, Julia Taylor from a couple of years back, and Jamie from last year are a few who have stayed with me), and not to mention that my knowledge of food and cooking techniques has increased manifold thanks to the show (that I don't use any of it is an entirely different story)!

I do not make plans for weekday nights during the 2-3 months that MC Aus is on air. It's my absolute favourite show in the world (second only to 'Friends').

I'm aware I might be sounding deranged but MC Aus has therapeutic value for me. I look forward to it the entire year. Regardless of the issues I might have on my mind, I tune them all out for the one hour the show is on air every day and just feel myself ensconced in the warmth, positivity and fuzziness of MC Aus. And that is the reason I love it so much...it's just such a warm, positive, feel good show!

The judges are critical...if the dish is bad they rip it apart but it's done professionally. There's no drama and no personal attacks. And there is always a positive take-out in terms of what the contestant could've done to make their dish better.

Contestants who end up in elimination don't act as if their lives are over...unlike in MC India. There's no barrage of tears. Rather they treat it as a bad day at work and the elimination cook-off as an opportunity to come back focused, with a positive mindset and put up a brilliant dish that would help them stay in the competition.

If they don't perform well in a challenge the focus is always on redeeming themselves in the next challenge. If there's a team member who lets the entire team down in a team challenge, people don't run to crucify him/her. Rather they are forgiving.

The other reason I like MC Aus so much is because every contestant is there for the right reason, and that is that they have a food dream. It could be having their own restaurant or catering business, or starting some other business revolving around food, or pursuing some other food related career. Unlike MC India where almost every contestant has a sob story and is there not for anything remotely related to food but because they want to buy a house or pay off a loan or get money for someone's treatment etc.!

Also, MC Aus is a wonderful representation of Aussie culture. The contestants come from all kinds of diaspora...Australians, Brits, Middle Eastern, Indians, Asians...and everyone brings a slice of their culture to the show in terms of the dishes they put up. Many challenges focus on the use of native ingredients, and the friendliness, warmth and positivity that permeate the show are the trademarks of Australian culture as well.

The quality of contestants over the past 2 years has been mind blowing. They are putting up restaurant quality dishes just in week 2 or 3 now! In the earlier seasons one didn't get to see such a high caliber of cooking even in the finals.

My favorites this year are Georgia and Billie. Georgia is a brilliant cook and comes across as sweet, cheerful (but not nauseatingly so) and full of warmth. She does tend to panic under pressure but is getting better at controlling her nerves with every episode. In one of the team challenges her team had no dish to show after an hour and ten minutes of cooking, but she pulled something together in the last 5 minutes. To be able to overcome your tendency to panic and have such presence of mind when you are pushed against the wall is commendable.

Billie too is a wonderful cook...quietly confident. But the dark horse this year could be Reynold, I feel. He cooks well, has amazing plating skills and has earned praise from the judges for both. I can also see Jessica go a long way but I'm not sure she can take out the Masterchef title.

Unfortunately, for all my love for MC Aus I haven't been able to convert any of my family members to fans of the show. They dismiss it as a boring cooking show and aren't even willing to give it a chance. Except my sister...she likes MC but she's a bigger fan of MKR (which I don't quite enjoy).

I'm looking forward to see who wins this year. My money is on Georgia! If only she continues to have a grip on her nerves.

Hello Again Blogverse!

Hello...if anyone is reading this. Although, to be honest, I don't expect people to still be checking this space given I had pretty much abandoned it myself.

It's been over two years since I wrote something here last. I haven't even been reading the blogs I used to, during this time. Two years is a really long time, but so much life has happened in these two years that it doesn't seem long at all. Coming back to this blog, I had forgotten how to sign in, upload pics etc. so I think I'll have to learn blogging all over again. But Google being the amazing Google has made Blogspot so user friendly, thank God for that!

Also, I've forgotten how to write as you can clearly see from my rambling and poorly constructed sentences. I'm blanking out of words and can't structure my thoughts. I've lost my blogging mojo :'(

Anyway, I shall try and persist with this post. My friend Moonshine is back to blogging - hopefully she's here to stay - and that inspired me to start writing again. Am I back for good? For one, I'm not sure if I can come up with enough things to write about. Also, I don't think I can write in as carefree a manner as I did earlier. So we'll see how we go.

As I mentioned a lot of life has happened in the past two years. I don't really wish to go into the details of all of it, but the one thing that pleased me the most was my decision, 7 months back, to take a sabbatical. It's something I had been planning since a couple of years but wasn't quite able to get the courage to take the plunge. However, given the way things were going at work towards the end of 2014 I felt if there was ever a time to take a break, it was this. And it's the best thing that I think I've done for myself in a long time.

Sometimes we just need to stop and take stock of where we're going - which direction we want to go in, are we happy doing what we're doing, is there something else that would motivate us even more? It's been 7 months and I can't claim that I'm through with all the thinking, but yes I do have an idea of what I'd like to do next that will make me happier than I was at my previous job, and also some idea of where my passion really lies and what I'd like to see myself doing long term.

So what have I been up to in these past 7 months?

Well, a lot of relaxation and rejuvenation has happened. Travel has happened - got to watch some of the cricket world cup matches live in stadium. Some much needed weight loss has happened courtesy a combination of a healthier eating plan, exercise, lower stress levels and a more disciplined lifestyle.

I moved back to live with my parents after living away from home for 17 years. Needless to say it has its challenges, but they seem to be really relishing it which is very satisfying. Also, I spent 3 months living with my sister - something that both she and I thoroughly enjoyed. We used to wake up in our own time, play some music while we did the house chores, then go out for shopping / coffee / walk around the city / local sight seeing / movie / lunch, grab a siesta, and evenings would be spent watching a movie or a TV series (Game of Thrones marathons!!) and cooking. And we realized that despite living away from each other for 17 years we haven't lost the ability to drive each other up the wall :P

It's been 7 months but I'm not yet ready to go back to the grind. I can't overstate the joy of not having to stress about targets, deadlines, work pressure and crises at work. No Monday morning blues to overcome. You can go for a movie on a Monday morning, shopping on Tuesday morning, leisurely lunch on Wednesday if that's what you feel like doing! I figure, this isn't something I can afford to do every couple of years so I might just enjoy it for a little bit longer :-)

Next on the agenda is to learn yoga and a life skill, a few more vacations (within a vacation?) being planned with friends & family, and some more rest and relaxation. Sounds splendid! :-)

So what have you been up to these past few months?

Can't believe how unexcited I am about my birthday. For the second year in a row.

I don't even know if I am the same person who would start counting down to her birthday soon as March began, and would make sure the day was full of wonderful plans with not a dull moment! 

I could never understand how people stopped getting excited about their birthdays over time - guess I do now. Ughhh. I spent my last birthday shopping by myself and catching up with a few friends for a quiet dinner. This time around friends are coming up with plans and I'm turning them down in favour of a quiet dinner (again), or possibly even a night in with family and mum's cooking. 

Did I let life get to me?

'Kai Po Che' is beautiful

There may be spoilers ahead.

'Kai Po Che' is not about kite flying, as one might infer from the title. Neither is it another male-bonding movie along the lines of 'Dil Chahta Hai' and 'Rock On' though one might get that feeling watching the first 15 minutes of it. What it is, is a marvelously made coming-of-age tale of three friends living in Ahmedabad in the early 2000s.

There's Ishaan, a brilliant aspiring cricketer who did not end up as one of the fortunate few who get to play for the country. He's emotional, all heart, but also hot-tempered with a tendency to get violent. There's Govind, the one with the entrepreneurial spirit. He is cautious with money but has tremendous foresight and is able to spot economic trends before they have emerged (it's early 2000s in India, the time when malls were just about getting a foothold in the retail landscape of the country, and he's able to see how they're going to revolutionize the way Indians shop over the course of the next few years). And there's Omi, the one who believes in being loyal in friendship. He's more the fence-sitter in the spectrum of Ishaan and Govind, balancing the need to be prudent and disciplined about finances, with generosity.

Together, the three open a sports shop with cricket coaching facilities. Omi acts as the financier of the shop, borrowing money from his uncle who is a politician in a fundamentalist Hindu party. Govind manages the accounts and identifies expansion opportunities, whereas Ishaan serves as the talent, the coach. He finds his life's goal in coaching a little boy - Ali - who has a prodigious talent with the bat.

Just as things are looking up for the three friends, Gujarat is rocked by a series of devastating natural and political events - the earthquake of January 2001, the Godhra massacre of 2002 and the subsequent communal riots - that threaten not only to destroy their business but also shred the fibre of their friendship.

Weighed down by a loan he can't repay Omi is compelled to play an active role in his uncle's Hindu party, whilst Ishaan gets sucked deep into the life and trials of Ali and his community. The story climaxes around the time of the riots following the Godhra carnage when Omi and Ishaan find themselves on the opposite sides of the communal divide. By this time, the viewer knows that no good can come out of this situation.

There are a number of things to like about this movie, the story for one. I have not read '3 Mistakes of My Life' but I believe the movie is not an adaptation of the book per se. They have taken the idea from the book and developed it much further. And what an inspiring, moving tale they have developed it into!

There are three protagonists in this movie, and all the three characters are equally developed (which is quite rare in itself in Bollywood). The performances too are superlative. The three actors Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh give very lived-in performances as if they are, and always have been, Ishaan, Govind and Omi. They talk like us, sometimes so fast you have to strain a bit to follow them (aren't we all guilty of talking too fast at times? I know I am :) There is no exaggeration of emotions even when calamity strikes. They break down, they shed silent tears, they shout at each other when situations get out of hand, but it's never over the top. Sushant Singh Rajput comes across like he has a lot of restless energy but he reins it in so well, even though he is the most hot-headed of the lot. There are times when you're about to bury your head in your hands thinking he's about to pull a Hritik Roshan on you (while you fervently pray he doesn't because he is such a bundle of talent), but he surprises you with his acting chops. Raj Kumar Yadav's Govind is awkward around women but he infuses such charm into the role, you cheer for him when he turns out to be the only one of the three to get a girl (Amrita Puri playing Ishaan's fiesty, go-getter little sister Vidya is that girl. She's at the periphery of all the action between the trio but she is cute and endearing.) Amit Sadh too does a stellar job of playing the slightly confused and vulnerable Omi who is pushed towards Hindu radicalism more out of economic necessity rather than ideology or inclination.

With a running time of just about two hours, the movie is tightly edited. The narrative is engaging and never gives your mind a chance to wander (unlike 'Special 26' that I felt could have been so much more of a movie but was let down by the unnecessary romantic track and songs). The climax is unpredictable and not something you could have foreseen (you're sitting there going "shit, shit, no, no, no! because you know something awful is about to happen but you don't know what exactly).

More than anything I think I was just awed  by the way Abhishek Kapoor has interwoven history with the movie's story line, and the maturity and restraint with which he has handled the scenes of the earthquake and the communal riots. They are not gut-wrenching as one saw in 'Bombay' or 'Parzania', yet they give you a very realistic feel of what would have happened and what the victims would have gone through.

'Kai Po Che' gives lessons in love and forgiveness. It shows us how no good can ever come out of hatred. It is a story of soaring human spirits and redemption. It will be tough to find a pair of eyes that are not moist after having watched the last half hour of the movie. The last couple of movies that touched my heart in the same way were Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Iqbal' and 'The Kite Runner', I think, and those were AGES ago! This one too will definitely stay with me for a long long time.

Yahaan Kal Kya Ho Kisne Jana

I can't claim to be a fan. I've hardly watched any movies of his. I'm an 80s baby and his popularity had started to wane by the time I tumbled out into the world. But I've heard stories of women going hysterical over him...sending him letters written in blood, trying to commit suicide when he married Dimple Kapadia etc. That is some serious stardom. And then he got lost into oblivion to the extent that he had to do B-grade movies to be able to continue paying his bills. That's a sad story indeed.

And can I just take a moment to say that the Havell's ad with him was completely appalling? Not something I expected of Balki.

RIP Rajesh Khanna

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is directed by David Fincher - the guy who directed 'Fight Club', 'Seven' and 'The Social Network'. All 3 movies that I liked and come on...isn't 'Fight Club' like a cult movie?

He doesn't disappoint with 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' either. To begin with, the casting is brilliant. BRILLIANT. I mean the sequence where they introduce the cast members, not the choice of cast (more on that later).

As soon as the casting begins, you know this is going to be one hard hitting movie....what with the amount of violence in the book...there will be no shying away from that. And there isn't. The sexual violence is all there and it's done in a way that will move you, rather than make you uncomfortable.

The movie is engaging and fast paced, and like most movies that are based on books it would help if you've read the book before. There are a couple of things you may miss if you haven't, and a few things you may not understand.

The casting I thought was a mixed bag. The male characters are spot on. I can't think of anyone else in Hollywood who would fit the character of Mikael Blomkvist better than Daniel Craig. Even the actor who plays Martin Vanger is perfect for the role - comes across a regular guy, even nice! But mentally, he's sick and deranged.

I'm not so sure of the casting of the female characters though. Let's start with Erika Berger who is played by Robin Wright ('Message In a Bottle', anyone?). I agree she is never described as being hot or pretty in the book (or is she?), but she comes across as quite sought after and is an important character in the scheme of things. Robin Wright just does not have much of an impact as Erika Berger, not much to do in the movie.

And then there's Lisbeth Salander herself. Now. In the book. She kicks ass. And even though she is a complete social misfit you find yourself rooting for her because she is just so awesome. She isn't social because she doesn't give a damn, but the movie makes her come across as shy. The actress who's played Lisbeth Salander has done a good job no doubt - given it's such a challenging role physically and emotionally - but she's not all that Lisbeth Salander is. And that's a real shame because she is the hero of the series. Maybe I'm feeling this way because I've seen the Swedish version where I found the actress to be awesome.

My main grouse with the movie is that they have changed the ending!!!!!! It may sound like a nice twist, and people who haven't read the book will not pick up on it, but I don't like it when they change things in movies from what they are in the book. I can understand it if it's done to make things more cinema-friendly, but here they have actually changed a part of the story in a way that was not required.

He's closing on 40 but Jude Law is just as sexy now as he was years ago.

Jude-You-Sexy-Law, why don't we get to see more of you? :(

Sherlock Holmes - The Game of Shadows is really good. Just as good as the first one, if not better. Check it out if you haven't already - it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. You'll like it...unless you didn't like the first one and you're not a fan of Guy Ritchie's style of movie-making.

****

I went to Watson's Bay last weekend. It's a 30 minute ferry ride from Sydney CBD and is one of the most beautiful places I've visited so far in Australia (of which I haven't visited many yet, and I'm the worse for it because Australia is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful!). On one side of Watson's Bay are two cliffs over-looking the Tasman Sea (the picture on my blog header being one of them). You can climb right to the top and gaze out at the deep blue waters stretching to infinity infront of you.

At a short walk from these cliffs is Camp Cove beach with golden coloured sand and clear blue-green waters, and the legally nudist Lady Bay beach.

****

I am so glad 2011 is behind us. Annus Horribilis. I don't know about you but I feel it was one of the crappiest years of my life. Happy to be in 2012 - it seems to be a year of hope and optimism. It even sounds so much better! Twenty-twelve...a nice round even number.

Hope you've all had a good start to the year.

The long braided hair, the stubble, the arrogance, the cockiness...SRK hasn't looked sexier before. I just wish this was his look throughout the movie.

Don 2 has made me fall in love with the man all over again.

On a separate note, Happy New Year folks.

Christmas Cheer

There's no other city in India that celebrates Christmas quite the way that Calcutta does. The Christmas cheer does not spare people of any religion - how else do you explain people from all religions walking up & down Park Street wearing Santa hats??!!

Park Street is another story in itself. It seems like the entire population of Calcutta has poured on to it. The street has been lit up since days. They apparently also had a Christmas Carnival that I missed. Flury's was packed to the gills with people queuing up outside the shop to have lunch there and buy Christmas cakes. Apparently, it's some kind of a Calcutta tradition to eat at Flury's on Christmas Day.

My day consisted of having lunch with my girl friends at my favourite Chinese restaurant in the city - Flavours of China - followed by plum cake at Flury's. And the weather is perfect - the winter chill accompanied by a bright, glowing sun. I am SO glad I spent Christmas in Cal rather than Sydney. There is something just very wrong about a summer Christmas.

Going by the rate I've been posting, I'm pretty sure I won't be posting again until after New Year's. So I hope you all had yourselves a Merry Christmas. Wish you a very Happy New Year and happy holidays :)

'Rockstar' and 'Dirty Picture'

Let's start with 'Rockstar', shall we?

My expectations from this movie were sky high given that it was an Imtiaz Ali movie. I really liked 'Jab We Met' when I saw it - for the first and last time, thankfully. I refuse to watch a million re-runs of it on TV! I found Geet's character very endearing and it changed my opinion of Kareena Kapoor to a great extent. I still don't like her, but I've moved on from not being able to stand her at all. Didn't quite like 'Love Aaj Kal' but I suspect that had more to do with Deepika Padukone than the story itself

The reason I like Imtiaz Ali is because he is a good story-teller and his movies have a certain simplicity and innocence about them. The fact he's from the homeland helps of course :)

With a name like 'Rockstar', images of an unshaven Ranbir Kapoor singing in front of a thousand-strong crowd and a song like 'Sadda Haq' that is likely to become the anthem of a generation of people who are frustrated with everything that is wrong with their country, I was expecting the movie to be about a, well, 'rockstar'. In the metaphorical sense of the word. A rebel who inspires an entire generation of young people to fight for a cause. But the movie turned out to be the story of a guy who fucks up his life for a girl who doesn't know what she wants in life and who dies in the end anyway (whaaaaaa???)

The music is mostly uninspiring and not at all Rockstar-ish, except for 'Sadda Haq'. The story is convoluted and has you clutching your hair in frustration. Nargis Fakhri is even more stone faced than Deepika Padukone and can't talk like a normal human being - her definition of 'acting' is yelling every dialogue out at the same pitch. She can't talk normally.

The person who walks away with all the accolades is Ranbir Kapoor. This must be the first serious role of his life and you can tell he's given everything he had to it. His character is really intense, yet there isn't a scene where he goes over the top and makes you cringe. Worth watching only for him, stay away if you're an Imtiaz Ali fan. I guess it's too late in the day to be saying that :)

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The Dirty Picture

Have you watched it? Did you like it?

Do I need to say that Vidya Balan hits the ball out of the park with this one and blows all the competition away with her acting chops? She is the hero of the movie, even Naseeruddin Shah pales in comparison to her. Who was the last actress one could say this about...Smita Patil? Shabana Azmi?

To play Silk Smitha on screen - at least as she is depicted in this movie - required balls and Vidya Balan has taken it head-on. Forget the acting - that's kind of a given when it comes to her. But to be as uninhibited as she is on screen - with her boobs and love handles all over the screen and faking and thrashing around on a bed in a red negligee, faking an orgasm...I'm not sure many actresses would have been comfortable doing that. Or pulled it off with such aplomb.

The movie isn't perfect. It's got its share of flaws and WTF moments, such as an extra song and a love track that is least convincing and doesn't go anywhere. But it is definitely a very engaging story. And there's the 'Ooh la la ooh la la' song that's stuck in my head even 3 days after I watched the movie. Bappi Lahiri rocks, doesn't he?

Dunaden

...is the name of the horse that won "the race that stops a nation". That's the Melbourne Cup.

I've been hearing about the Melbourne Cup since I moved to Australia five months ago, as one of my clients is a sports and race betting major. It's one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Australia, with horses being flown in from across the world and a crowd of close to 100,000 turning up to watch the race.

To be honest, I've never been into the races. Maybe because we don't have too many horse races in India apart from the one in Bombay at the Mahalaxmi Race Course, and that too is known more because of the socialites and the fashion parade than the race itself. But Aussies are different - they love their sport and nothing comes between them and their sport. Except beer.

A public holiday was declared in the state of Victoria (that Melbourne is a part of) to honour the races. And the rest of Australia pretended that the race was taking place in their own town/city. Women everywhere wore dresses and fancy hats, work stopped at 2pm and pubs got flooded. The party continued well into the night even though the race was over by 3.15pm. Don't ask me why.

Our office too came to a standstill between 2-3.15pm. Pizzas were ordered, beer bottles were plonked on the table, and people started betting on their favourite horses. The more risk taking of the lot went to the betting outlet to gamble away hundreds of dollars.

The race itself was enthralling! The gallopping horses were a beauty to look at. So fit, so lean, so well cared for. And they must've been running really fast because they covered more than 3km in less than 5 minutes! It was the closest win in the 151 year history of the Melbourne Cup. Dunaden, a French horse, defeated the English Red Cadeaux by 1 millimetre! That too because she decided to stick her nose out in the end to win!

Besides being gorgeous, these horses are also pretty smart! I wonder how much it must cost the owners to maintain them. But then, Dunaden's owner won $3 million from the Melbourne Cup victory alone, I'm guessing that's enough and more to go around for the year.

A Sunny Afternoon and My First Ever Baby Shower

I went to my first baby shower today. It was a girly affair and everyone was wearing happy summer dresses given it was a warm and sunny day.

The lunch took place at the Burnt Orange cafe in the upscale neighbourhood of Mosman, by the Sydney Harbour. The choice of location inspired by the fact that the mother is a red-head, so everyone's betting on a ginger baby!

Burnt Orange is a cafe and retail store overlooking the Sydney Harbour. The cafe is semi open air, so while you're sipping your champagne and having your lunch, you can look on to the sea and the hills in the distance, and wave to ferries passing by, taking people to the Northern Beaches.

It's an idyllic setting, perfect for a lazy weekend lunch. They let you stay as long as you want, and there's even a small shop where you can buy some trendy but over-priced stuff.

The baby shower itself was most fun. But then with 12 girls around how can it not be fun? The champagne flowed and the food was delicious, followed by coffee 'n' cake (everyone except me was British). There were many games played including one that involved a big cut out of a uterus with the mum's picture stuck on to it (denoting the egg) and the dad's head stuck on to sperms that everyone had to take a shot at sticking closest to the egg, blindfolded of course.

The party was very well organized. There were pastel coloured balloons with 'It's a boy!' written on them, tiny blue toys that rattled on shaking were spread across the table, and the mum-to-be was made to wear a beautiful blue tiara and a giant pacifier necklace.

I didn't take pictures of the view from the Burnt Orange cafe but I'll leave you with a few pictures from their website.

The cafe

The view from the cafe

The shop

Only at Oz

Will you find...

People who go for a jog across the Harbour Bridge during lunch hour!

Offices that want to name their meeting/conference rooms after drinks!

Offices that sponsor unlimited alcohol once every 2 weeks as part of their "Happy Employees" initiative!

Colleagues who want to take your friend, who's visiting from overseas and who they don't know, out for drinks!