Ginger Chai

Predators – review

Sir Pumpkin Longshanks — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:28:06 +0000

Cast: Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace Producer: Nimrod Antal Running time: 106 minutes (R) I’ve been a fan of the Predator franchise since the mid 90s. Arnold schwa… swar….. shwar….. The governor of California did an absolutely amazing bang up job in the first movie released round about the same time I was born in the mid 80s. The second movie wasn’t bad either. The next two movies that included the generally terrifying creature from Aliens series, however, managed to single handedly destroy two of the greatest movie franchises though Alien vs. Predator and the subsequently pukeable AvP: Requiem which was quite aptly named for the funereal dirge that went with it! The latest movie of the series is almost a reboot that I was fervently awaiting since I heard about it in 2007. Enter the most maniacal bad ass mercenaries there are. These mercenaries are dropped on an alien planet to be HUNTED. They are the game this time around. And the hunters? Improved Predators with only one goal: to hunt. For those of you who haven’t followed the predator series, the predators are efficient killing machines with only one sole purpose in life: to hunt for game. Also, need I say “Please get [...]

So you think you can write?

Muddassir Shah Md — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:29:18 +0000

“So you think you can write?” The most clichéd question an author, a poet or a writer is asked every time he or she proclaims of his/her skills. Yes! Yes, it is very embarrassing and belittling question to be answered, an insult to our talents. No more, are we not going to bear with these disparaging questions. Looks like Goddess Saraswathi or her contemporaries interested in literature have come to our rescue. There is this site http://iwl.me/ which analyses your writing skills, compares with the writing skills of other greats and suggests that your writing style matches so and so writer. What more, it generates a badge and authenticates that your writing style is that of the great so-and-so write. You can post it on your blog or website and gloat about it I am not sure of the algorithm behind this site, it does some calculations. Yes it does. For the first sample, my writing style was that of Ian Fleming (I was on cloud 9). Next, I was rated as Cory Doctorow (Cory who???) and next H.P Lovecraft. My friend who was watching my disillusioned state gave up on it and said “Dude, you have your own style, you do not [...]

Another adult annihilated!

Guest writer — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:15:06 +0000

Azaad and Aman altercated at aunt Annie’s abode. Afterwards, Aman absconded. Aunt Annie arrived and asked Azaad about Aman. Azaad answered, ‘am ain’t aware’. Aunt asked again. Azaad answered, ‘an alligator ate Aman’. Aunt, agitated, averred, ‘a$$@@@@’. Azaad answered, ‘abuse again and…’ Aunt, annoyed, aimed an axe at Azaad’s abdomen. ‘Aaaaaaaaahhhh… ‘ Editors note: I hope readers found the unique aspect of this this 55 fiction format story. You didnt? No I am not talking about the 55 F format here but the way the story is constructed. Have a re-look. All the words starts with “A”. This A post comes from Kshitj and believe it or not, this is his first attempt on 55F. What a wordplay sirji! For more about 55 fiction click here About the Author: Guest post by Kshitij Khurana. He belongs to “The Wordsworth Legions”, one of the two teams that made it to the Bloggers Premier League, first edition finals. He blogs at Dusht-ka-Drishtikone. Do you love writing? If then, Contact Us for details. Read out submission guide “Becoming Chaiwala” before contacting us.

Few Idiots!!!

Anney Thomas — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:03:24 +0000

(Yes, you read right!) One of my all time favourite movies will be Three idiots, reason: the adventures of college life that Raju Hirani portrayed bring back a lot of college memories. I have been blessed with friends of all kinds. Friends who warmed those ass shaped seats in my mind, on many occasions in life, especially in the college days. College… I can never remember college without the memory of our notorious warden, Ms Mary (the Dragon). It was believed that she breathed fire due to an alleged love failure. The fire in her burned the hostellers for years, before and after my stint with the college hostel. She had a nasty temper and was the terror of the college. The college principal trembled when he saw her at a distance. Among the inmates of our hostel was Manju a lovable chatter bug. She would bring me gossips from all over college. I remember one evening, the eve of one of my second year exam; we spent the whole evening imagining our visit to Switzerland with the most gorgeous boys from college. We went skiing, snow fighting, visited the lovely churches to enjoy the Christmas carols, had a handsome guide to flirt [...]

Rudraksha – the mystic bead

Ritu Lalit — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:47:37 +0000

“Rudraksha” is formed by association of two Sanskrit words, ‘Rudra‘ and ‘Aksha‘. Rudra is another name of Lord Shiva and “Aksha means ‘tear’. Mythological tales have it that the plant of Rudraksha originated from the tear drops of Lord Shiva. It is used by Ayurvedic healers and Vedic astrologers. The seed of Rudraksh which has a stone-like feel to it enjoys a very important place in the folk lore of Hindus. It is credited with mystical and divine properties. Its botanical name is ‘Eleocarpus Granitus” and it has been known to have magnetic powers as well. The Rudraksh tree or Elaeocarpus Granitrus bears a blue colored fruit, which is then peeled and the seeds obtained. Rudraksh seeds are bead like and their appearance bears close resemblance to the human brain. They have clefts and furrows, which are known as faces. It is believed that each bead has a different effect on the wearer, depending on the faces it has. Therefore each bead is carefully matched with the horoscope of the wearer for optimum effect. Unscrupulous people have been selling fake Rudraksh beads, as they are popular and expensive. There is one amazing property of Rudraksh, even though it is light weight, [...]

Manjal Kozhukattai – Visual Recipe

Lakshmi Rajan — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:52:39 +0000

Manjal Kozhukattai is a peculiar dish that is not common in many kitchen. It is a traditional dish of a particular one community in the southern part of Tamil nadu. The dish has a very soothing and cooling effect on the body. Ingredients: Urad dal (black gram) – 1 measure Rice – 3 measure Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds/ venthaiyam) – 2 spoonful Onions – 4 (big) Coconut – 1 cup grated Turmeric powder Step 1: Take 1 measure of Urad dal and 3 measures of rice and two spoonful of fenugreek seeds. Soak Urad dal and fenugreek seeds together and rice separately in water for 4 hours. Step 2: First grind soaked urad dal, fenugreek and 4 big onions (chopped) together into a fine batter. While grinding add water gradually so that it does not become very watery. Add the soaked rice (without the water) and coconut into the mixture and grind further. Step 3: The mixed batter should be in the consistency as shown in the picture below. Transfer it to a vessel from the grinder. Step 4: Boil water in a pan. Add turmeric powder. Step 5: Make balls out of the mixture and add it to the boiling turmeric water. Step 6: The Kozhukattais (dumplings) will start floating once cooked. And your … Delicious yellow dumplings Manjal kozhukattai’s are [...]

Khatta Meetha – Review

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:20:30 +0000

Priyadarshan is a director of contradiction. In 2008 his Tamil movie Kanichivaram won the national award and in 89’s and 90’s he has many commercially successful Malayalam movies to his credit. Then he ventured into Bollywood taking the safe route of remaking his Malayalam hits and turning many into hits again. But the problem in rehashing the old movies is that few of the movies thought successful during that time frame would fail to entice the present audience. Khatta Meetha is one such story, where the audience finds nothing new in it. On other hand we have Akshay Kumar a super star on his own right but aware of leveraging it. Unlike the Khan stars, Akki is a common man when it comes to show biz who cannot position his star value to pedal up further. So you see him in big ventures like Blue and then you also see him in a seemingly low budget movie like this. I am not suggesting he gets trapped into stardom but he could do well by choosing movies that justified his new found stardom. Khatta Meetha definitely is not a movie meant for superstar like Akki. Sachin Tichkule (Akshay kumar) is a struggling civil [...]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – review

Mani Padma — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:39:46 +0000

Well! Well! Well! Another Friday and I get my lollypop called DVD to bring before you another DVD pick of the week and the movie is Charlie and The Chocolate factory!!!??? What? What’s there to laugh? Why are you all sniggering? And who was that who whispered – next she will be reviewing Finding Nemo! Ok I may! So what’s wrong in it? Sheesh! Come on fellows! We can always let go of our stuffy selves occasionally and be the child that we have always wanted to be. Isn’t it? What’s wrong in letting down our inhibitions and remembering our wonder years called childhood now and then? No harm, isn’t it? After all Children’s movies and literature have the best messages. “A child is not a salmon mousse. A child is a temporarily disabled and stunted version of a larger person, whom you will someday know. Your job is to help them overcome the disabilities associated with their size and inexperience so that they get on with being that larger person.” So let’s switch off our cell phones and the internet… no! no! no ! Ooops! Major goof up, not the internet! The cell phone will do. So let’s settle comfortably with [...]

Checkmate

Guest writer — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:21:35 +0000

Now: “So now what?” asked Shastri. “Well… finally I get to say this, Checkmate” replied Shakti. Twenty Years Ago: They were at it for sixteen hours now; the court was watching the best game of Chess ever played. Prince Shakti was already awarded the young genius award by the king. Shastri was the peasant’s son and was also called a young genius by the villagers. At age 10 they both had the game played for hours together. ‘Checkmate,’ said Shakti. ‘Look at him, as savage as he can get,’ thought Shakti, ‘No plan, no art, just brutal primitive savageness.’ ‘Not yet’ Shastri simply glanced at the board and not seeing anywhere, finally he shouted, ‘Checkmate.’ The whole courtroom was silent, no one was able to defeat Shakti in the game till date. They had no idea what would happen next, was the title of young genius getting transferred to the peasant’s son? They silently watched the game. The king was waiting for the prince to say it. ‘Throw him in prison, sentenced for life,’ shouted the prince, ‘And throw his family out of the kingdom. Their farms are the royal farms from now.’ He kicked the game board and walked out of the room. Guarded dragged away the ten year [...]

Golden Rules of Marriage

Anney Thomas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:31:33 +0000

Everyone must know certain rules to keep one’s sanity from running away. Here are a few rules I learned along with my husband. Rule 1: Avoid getting married in the first place. Divorce is an expensive affair. There are other ways to test endurance! Try Survivor!!! Rule 2: Accept it….you are in for good! (You broke rule #1 didn’t you. Well these are just for people like you.) Rule 3: Men- Don’t ask your wife to cut down her weight and volunteer to get her into a weight loss programme. Those who broke this rule are still paying for the gems, the gym, the dieting programs and workout outfits that will never be used in this lifetime. Rule 4: Women – Unless you want your husband to get you the lawn mower for your birthday, please specify the gift that you will accept and the price tag that is approved by you. Rule 5: Men – Always jot down her birthday, your wedding day, your first kiss and the fateful day that you met your “Other Half”. These will be useful to pass the pop quiz that you will have to take on any given day. Pass mark-’Aww so sweet!’ Fail –‘You don’t love me [...]