My Life 360 @ Bangkok

Brash and Unrepentant..thats why IRON MAN works..

2010-04-30T11:21:00.003+08:00

Retaining the soul of a comic book superhero is the most difficult task in a transformation to the big screen. Iron Man has seemingly ridden that storm well in both its first installment and the sequel. Marvel has this knack of reinventing its superheroes every 4 or 5 years,with Iron Man the change started in 2004. Over the years the primary aim for Marvel has been reaching out to a more adult fan base and this is more than evident in the new Iron Man comic book titles.Iron Man's movie heroics prompts Marvel to expand its fan base even farther.

What can one say about Tony Stark,aptly personified on screen by Robert Downey Jr. Brash,unapologetic,playboy,cynic and at times narcissistic too,not the way we have seen our textbook superheroes. Director John Favreau takes these characteristics and establishes the perfect connection with audiences. Time and again we have seen how many a superhero sequel has failed to live up to the expectations of the audience. Iron Man in 2008 was a robust introduction and the sequel has succeeded in taking the story forward.

The basic premise for the sequel is how Tony Stark realizes his father's dream and vision and his subsequent indoctrination to S.H.I.E.L.D. For the uninitiated S.H.I.E.L.D is a super secret government initiative of super men and women dedicated to protect America. Samuel L.Jackson's cameo as SHIELD agent Nick Fury has the responsibility of reining in Tony Stark's eccentricity and ignite his genius.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts has some serious competition this time round with Scarlett Johanson as SHIELD agent a.k.a the Black Widow. A small chink in the armor is the transformation of best friend and ally of tony stark, Col. James Rhodes into the War Machine. Don Cheadle looks haplessly out of place in an action movie,well we wouldn't mind if we see someone like Will Smith in part 3. Mickey Rourke walks and talks like the proverbial russian renegade scientist Ivan Vanko,until he puts on a iron man suit himself. I must give it to the director,the Monaco Grand Prix scene with the entry of Whiplash was outstanding.Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer of Hammer Weapons Inc; brings his own brand of villainy style and panache to a character so well documented in the marvel iron man series.

All these characters are intertwined with the IRON MAN series and are thus an integral part, as we look ahead to more mayhem in the coming years. Action sequences,visualization and tech show apart, IRON MAN 2 works without toeing the atypical superhero line. Well we all agree with Howard Stark,Tony is indeed your best creation.

My AVATAR review

2009-12-20T15:36:00.002+08:00

Sci-fi and big budget action thrillers are meant to amaze and wow the audience into submission.If Avatar had wanted to do just that it would have been out in the theatres a lot earlier. But Avatar goes beyond the ephithets associated with this genre.The tagline "Enter the World" provides us with a clue about what we will experience with the vision and cinematic prowess of James Cameron.

Let's forget about the technology used or the special effects,it's the experience which leaves you flabbergasted.If imagination is a gift,then James cameron has used it perfectly to conceptualize and present his dream. Jaw dropping landscapes and breathtaking visual effects numb your mind when you go aboard Pandora.

The meticulous detailing of the pandorian landscapes and of the Na'vi (pandora indigenious people) sacred sites is a first.Some reviews earlier said that the movie does not have a great storyline but I beg to differ.As we have seen with the Abyss,Terminator and Aliens,Avatar has it's share of subtle messages and a story which moves you.

It's surreal that in 2154 the humans (skypeople) still don't care a lot for climate,people or even planets.Everything,everywhere it's still commercial gains first and humanity last. At a time when the world is struggling to agree at the climate summit,avatar gives us a looking glass to see where we are headed.

The movie fascinates your senses,making you feel at home with the Na'vi and their bonding with nature. No one noticed the 2hrs 45 mins running time,and all we could do is ask for more.
Yes James Cameron we can't wait for the sequels,prequels to Avatar.

The bar has been raised and a benchmark set yet again. It will be biased but we are going to compare other upcoming movies through the prism of Avatar. Go and enter the World of Avatar and watch it only in 3D.

My Zombie Days

2009-11-28T13:50:00.002+08:00

There is something very peculiar happening inside us when we think about the weekend. To some it's like manna from heaven to escape the harsh realities of Monday to Friday. However most of us who don't party every day would beg to differ.

In Thailand,Bangkok in particular..every work day,week day is like a milestone. Every single seat at pubs ,restaurants is taken at the end of each work day.One would wonder if for thai people every day is an excuse to celebrate.

Johnnie walker,sangsom,100 pipers,regency,singha are the favorite playmakers on tiring weekdays.Weekends are more for rest and rejuvenation.

My weekends for the past few years start late in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. Thus effectively I utilize only a part of the weekend,which by the time I realize it's manic monday again.

I have to get myself rescued from this zombie culture. Every weekend has to be a journey ,a discovery of new unknowns but alas the travesty of life..some things just don't happen the way you want them.

I do have a new passion,twittering,it's much better than chattering. Express your views and delight in the musings of others. Be a free Twitter bird in twitterverse.

BTW...hope next weekend will be bigger and better...yes coz it's a long weekend..

Cheers

Prem

Sunday musings

2009-11-15T15:48:00.001+08:00

Holiday season 2009 is just round the corner...streets,malls,institutions you name it..everyone is geared up.

Retailers worldwide are confident that this year sales will be back to status quo. Optimism is omnipresent..we thrive on it.

Yesterday there was a serious debate on BBC about Obama being awarded the Nobel peace prize. One gentleman from Cambridge remembered the time when Mahatma Gandhi did not get the Nobel ...yes it did not create a very big controversy during that time.This year Obama getting the prize certainly proves that two wrongs certainly don't make it right.
The panel was unanimous in their opinion that although there were more deserving candidates..the choice was an inspiring one..and the ramnifications of which will be truly known in the not too distant feature...

Listening to Sunday bloody Sunday by U2...Bono what a guy and a real activist at heart..maybe someday U2 may get the peace prize ...they have my vote...

Gawshh...why is wave fm playing Duran Duran now after U2...

Cheers everyone

I'll see y'all later

Prem

Weekend retreat...

2009-11-14T14:09:00.001+08:00

Feels kind of surreal to be experiencing a whiff of winter air in Bangkok . It's been a late Saturday morning after a really late Friday night watching reruns of all tv shows this week.

Weekends make one feel liberated from the rigours of the entire week...but does it really matter...party..sleep late..get up late and before you know it's Monday morning.

Hope I can salvage some fun and games during the remaining 36 hours..cheers to that mates..

Chaos Theory

2009-03-30T23:05:00.003+08:00

It was just another routine work day,the only day when i skim rather than read through emails. We're spending thousands of dollars on the best firewall software and yet atleast 30% of incoming mail constitutes spam. I can't really blame the networking team,as they are trying their best,blocking out messages without subject lines of fictitious emails. All said and done a big loss in efficiency and productivity.

Read a report on how a certain cyber espionage network originating from China has hacked into government run computers across 103 countries.Classified documents have been stolen from embassies and foreign offices across the globe. Seems like stealing candy from a baby to these guys.This is a serious threat but governments across the world are busy these days in anti-recession tactics so no one has taken this seriously.

Thailand is still on the boil,protests by the pro-thaksin UDD entered its 5th day with no sign of any compromise.Hopefully the situation will not escalate to the idiosyncratic levels of last december. Fingers and everything else crossed....

Cautious optimism for next year's benefits and increments..last day of company's fiscal year tomorrow. Recession or not,it does pay to be an optimist.

cheers

Prem

Can't wait for Monday!

2009-03-29T23:18:00.004+08:00

Its been a futile weekend of sorts,nothing has gone as planned. Missed cricket practice on Saturday,missed the book fair as well as the motor show. I'm beginning to feel that even the weekend hours have been hit by the global recession.

Saturday was rather uneventful to start with,knowing that i had got up at 10 am. Went for a quick trip to novotel lotus to check out my booking in early july. Well it took about 3 hours to get things sorted out,thats where it went wrong. I couldn't make it to the cricket nets at 3.00 pm, and ended up havin' loads of biriyani and mutton kebabs. Finally made it to the gym at a little past 8 pm.Guess what the sauna had closed and i was feelin way too groggy to go for a decent workout.

Dinner was another culinary disaster, fried fish (thai style,plaa' nil),with shrimp fried rice and pepsi.The belly was definitely goin for a toss.Tried in vain to search for a new bollywood flick. I donno what has happened to bollywood,hardly any decent movies for the past couple of months.

Finally i hit the jackpot at 12:00 am,tried downloading Ek-the power of one,nana's name was enough for me to get goin.I was at it till 1:30 am and the movie just kinda ate me up. Dragged myself to bed at 2:00 pm.

Sunday morning started for me at half past 12,no wonder it took such a long time to get all that food recycled. Just about managed to catch 30 laps of the Australian Grand Prix.It was a an awesome race,too much drama and tension but the best team won in the end. Brawn GP,I'd put my money on them this time round,hopefully if a certain Lewis Hamilton has other plans.

The rest of Sunday was too hot to venture out,36 degrees in the shade,summer's here and in full force.Left for Silom at around 5 pm and i think i deserve a pat in the back for takin the sky train, traffic was movin at a snail's pace.Not that it saved me any time,took a taxi back home and came back to the old telly with bits and pieces of 28 Days later,Maid in Manhattan and Definitely,maybe. Was keen on a light dinner,but ended up having lamb chops and french fries and more pepsi. Can't wait for monday to burn off these extra pounds of carbs n calories.

ciao

Prem

Terror in my mind,fear in my heart,yes i am a 21st century Indian !

2008-12-04T17:23:00.004+08:00

Terror has reinvented itself in a new way,one that has roused the common man to question the very echelons of social and political structure. 4100 terror incidents in the past 30 years and people have finally decided to wake up. 24x7 coverage by all media hungry outlets has made the Mumbai massacre firmly etched on every indian's mind and heart.

We can all blame the politicians and government agencies who have seemingly failed in all ways to protect us. This blame game is nothing new except for the fact that we have a new voice which has entered the fray,the voice of the common man. It took a 100 years for the common man to get India independent and a further 60 years to raise a voice against the inept policies and administrative junta. Even R.K Narayans common man has seen it all, floods,famine,elections,riots and still after all these years it was nothing more than a morning teaser for all of us.

Where were the voices and candles when ATS chief Hemant Karkare was being targetted by petty politicians. Is one issue really bigger than all the others which have been plaguing this country for the past two decades ? 213 people were gunned down,how many foreigners were there about 27. FBI sends in a team, Israel sends in paramedics, scotland yard comes in. The US,UK and Israeli governments didn't have to think twice before taking such a step. Yet when countless indians are systematically slaughtered in the name of religon, cast, creed, societal norms our common man steps aside and watches the tamasha.

Too many candles have been lit and too many slogans have been raised. This is not going to repay our brave police officers and commandoes. We are in all effect a country within a country, a state within a state with countless divisive lines which only serve to sway us one way or another.

Its been almost a week since the attacks started and except a few diplomatic parleys, nothing has been done yet. After a couple of weeks nothing will have changed except some new agreements and doctrines. My simple ideology is to say a simple prayer every morning before you leave your house and ask the almighty to keep you safe wherever you venture. We are living on a prayer of hope for a better future.

Farewell Richard Wright...

2008-09-16T17:35:00.004+08:00

Hearing the news today makes one feel that a final reunion bid by Pink Floyd will just be a pipe dream now. Its so surreal that the once sidelined co-founder of Pink Floyd was so lonely during the past decade whilst the popularity of the band reached an iconic status.

Tributes keep pouring in and none might be enough to fully comprehend the passing away of a musical collussus. Richard Wright's keyboard was the soul of Pink Floyd. Who can ever forget the Dark side of the moon circa 1973.....

Even decades later it still arouses the same psychedelic passion, Atom heart mother,Echoes and Shine on you Crazy diamond...

Roger Waters still arouses the same passion these days in one off tours and special concerts.

David Gilmour, Roger Waters,Nick Mason ,Syd Barret and Richard Wright made wonderful music and redefined conventional rock music.

The world of music can never scale those heights again.....

Pink Floyd has truly entered the stage set for legends......

Incredible Double Rainbow effect!

2008-08-19T15:52:00.004+08:00

On Saturday evening,Bangkok witnessed heavy thundershowers. This led to one of nature's most unique phenomenons, the rainbow. But what was so special was that we had two rainbows. Attached are some of the pictures i took ...

My Article on Cricinfo.com

2008-08-14T15:43:00.004+08:00

Here is the piece i submitted to cricinfo.com's new venture for readers "Inbox"

Batting for Bowlers

Cricket must really have been tough for batsmen when the trend was for uncovered pitches and zero protective equipment. Add to that no limit on the number of bouncers allowed in an over. Over the years it has evolved to be more of a batsman's game but in retrospect, its not changed a lot atleast when it comes to Test Cricket.

The pitch for the second test of the India v Sri Lanka series at Galle has different characteristics at both ends. Now I do understand that Galle had been ravaged by the Tsunami and the ground was rebuilt from scratch. But a pitch like this on the first day and the way the batsmen tackled the variable bounce reminds me of the days when uncovered pitches were the norm.

Here in Bangkok we play using taped tennis balls and we play on a surface which resembles a hard court and clay court put together.The games were quite predictable where bowlers had to suffer a lot. One day someone suggested that we add two extra layers of tape representing the seam. Now who's heard of that. We decided to try it out and voila! The batsmen started having a torrid time. Seam movement, swing,plays n misses, all seemed so surreal. Now our weekend games have become much more interesting with bowlers being more in command.

Summing up a torrid month!

2008-08-13T15:26:00.002+08:00

For the past few years the joy of celebrating my birthday has been on the wane. It used to be such a wonderful day and looking forward to the day was an experience to be cherished.All the planning,expectations, surprises used to hang on almost a month before the D-Day. I can't help but contemplate do things really change when we grow older that one's birthday does not evoke the kind of unabashed joy it used to generate when we turned into our teen years.

And of course there can be other reasons too. We feel that garish birthday celebrations are not the dominion of the mature and so we tone down our celebrations and moods to match up to our mature mindset. What a bore ? Yeah some friends who are still in their golden years might beg to differ.

A month before my 27th birthday, and i had a terrible ear infection which seemed to be getting worse. Just as i was recovering from my ear tragedy,another one was waiting to happen.Having had to no serious infections for the past decade makes one oblivious to the hazards we face today. I contracted Chicken Pox and was out in the cold for the better part of 3 weeks. No oily food,using an assortment of creams over my body and face and yes drink lots of fruit juice and cold water as well as stay indoors and have a lot of rest. Yes rest i did but not without its perils. Work at office seemed to pile on and i had my hands full when i emerged from my illness. But of course my birthday was spent on the bed lying down the entire day and watching the same recycled lot of movies on HBO,Starmovies and Cinemax with occasional doses of NGC and Discovery.

It all seemed to surreal,me an Chicken Pox...i was all so lucky it was not very severe and i was up and running within 3 weeks. I did my own CSI analysis and it came back to me my initial diagnosis was that of a skin rash for which i was to take antibiotics. Having non-vegetarian food the next day aggravated the rash to chicken pox. By Monday the 14th of July it was too late but atleast i had the correct diagnosis and medicine this time round.

First thing after my steady recovery was to gorge on sumptuos mutton biriyani, humus and kebabs at Al Hussein. Well it did me some good, i have stopped having non-veg food every day and limit myself to 2 or 3 days a week. Thats not me but i have managed to do it after my illness has been attributed to too much of eating out and feasting on tender morsels of meat,fish and seafood.

Spider Man 3- The Ultimate Battle Lies Within

2007-05-04T14:51:00.000+08:00

Ever since our friendly neigbourhood spiderman exploded on the movie screens in 2002, every subsequent sequel has been awaited with bated breath. What's spidey gonna do next ? Ending months of speculation and rumors spiderman 3 has hit screens across the world in May. Billed as the most expensive movie production ever, spiderman 3 production house Sony pictures left no stone unturned to market the movie. Reports suggest a whopping $500 million budget, of which roughly 50% was spent on marketing the movie. Now we know why spiderman is so popular. No wonder Tobey Maguire and the rest of the cast have been globetrotting for the movie's world premiere.

The Thailand premiere happened on the 1st of May, and the movie was released simultaneously in cineplexes across Bangkok and other provinces. Your's truly had been also waiting with feverish anticipation for this spidey installment. The IMAX experience was amazing, the huge screen, and 3-D surround sound made the movie experience much more exciting.

Spiderman 3 reveals the dark ,revengeful side of the main protagonist Peter Parker. As we have seen in the previous two episodes , Peter Parker is just like your guy next door,happy and contented with what he has, and for the first time seems to have realised what it means to be spiderman. His girlfriend and love of his life Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) is still facing an uphill battle to be successful in showbusiness.

The storyline does not move at a frenetic pace but seems to gradually grow on you. 2 hours and 45 minutes still seems a long duration for a hollywood movie, but hey who's complaining. The story starts with a meteorite carrying what i would call "black alien scum" crashing in the suburbs of NYC. This alien scum is a sort of symbiotic creature which can only survive if it latches on to a host. In doing so it aggregates the dark and morbid side of the host.
Spiderman is dealing with his own share of problems with friend turned foe Harry Osbourne played by James Franco, baying for his blood. Harry Osbourne as we had seen at the end of part two discovers the gadgets and weapons chamber of the Green Goblin. Now Goblin Junior is out to avenge his father. Misunderstandings with Mary Jane put spidey in a desperate situation.
Spiderman is confronted by the Sandman,or Flint Marko who is the actual murderer of his Uncle Ben. The Sandman as do most spidey villains has a human side to him,as all he wanted was money for his daughter's treatment. Now as an escaped convict he enters a particle physics testing facility and is transformed into the sandman. It gives him the ability to change his body into malleable sand.The transformation sequence was one of the best scenes in the movie. Some comic relief is provided by J.K Simmons as the chief editor of the Daily Bugle.

Caught between love, friendship and revenge spidey is taken over by the alien scum and it reveals his dark and revengeful side to the world. The black symbiote bonds with Peter's costume in his sleep. He awakes to find a strange new level of strength of power that he accepts, but soon influences his behaviour for the worse.Its powers are unleashed on first the sandman, then goblin junior and finally Mary Jane also. By the time spidey becomes self aware,its too late. Soon, he realises he must lose this power to become his better self, and he rips the symbiote off his body.One notable addition to the list of villains is Eddie Brock Junior aka Venom......he is also taken over by the alien scum which transforms him into a ghastly representation of spiderman. As Venom, he wants to get back at Peter Parker for evicting him from his staff position at the Daily Bugle.

Spiderman has to battle both Sandman and Venom and save Mary Jane, but in doing all this he needs help. Yes you heard it, spidey needs some help, and guess what Harry osbourne comes in to help spiderman in his battle. The stunts and visual effects are at a level never before seen in motion pictures.Spiderman conquers his demons and wins the battle, but loses his dear friend Harry Osbourne. The movie had a very well developed story line and the focus was not only on stunts and action sequences. There were many emotional sequences in the movie which showcased the human side of spiderman, and how he could also be afflicted by love, friendship and revenge. Sam Raimi has done true justice to the trilogy, it couldn't have ended better. For all we know maybe a 4th installment might just come out in 2 years.

The movie is a must watch, as to me it is the best one in the trilogy. So what are you waiting for ......go see spidey in action....

Cricket or Something Like it........

2006-10-30T13:15:00.000+08:00

The BCCI is the richest cricket body in the world and every now and then we hear of millions being added to its coffers, mainly by scheduling matches in non-descript locations around the globe. At home we were considered to be Tigers,well lets look at it this way,we were always tigers at home but without the killer instinct.Probably the knee-jerk reactions of indian cricket fans doesn't put much emphasis on the champions trophy, if it was the world cup then we might have been watching news reports of nationwide protests and reactions to any loss against any team and on any given day. Our one day record is dismal, we can't produce an express fast bowler who can bowl at 150 kph even though we boast of a billion cricket crazy fanatics. Commando training sessions initiated by foreign coaches are nothing more than an outdoor trek for the players.I bet our players just forget to fire the bullets in an all out war.

We have the greatest players , even GOD plays in our team, but he never wins matches for india. Its pretty difficult to digest the fact that none of us even remember the last time we won a cricket match against australia and that too convincingly. Its not too difficult to accept that we are good at only one sport, but its still not good enough to challenge the top teams in the world. Last season we had no complaints when we set a new record for chasing totals,but the dismal pangs of inconsistency have never left the team. Come the best teams in the world and our inadequacies are seriously exposed! Who is responsible, the selectors, the coach, the players or the board ? I believe we as fans have set the bar too high...

A couple of years down the road even dravid and sachin will take up their positions behind the commentary box or start a business enterprise of their own. What becomes of the team then, well the blame game goes on... Its time us gullible fans realise and accept that we are way behind other teams when it comes to team spirit and body language, and its something which is not going to change anytime soon. Even ricky ponting gives 100% when he is the 12th man, captain, fielder, bowler or batsman,he plays only for the team , individual brilliance never comes at the expense of the team. Almost all the batting records are held by indians but sadly it has not affected our overall win-loss record too much.

Personally it was for the first time ever that yesterday's loss to australia did not sting, as i had already toned down my expectations much before the match began.I enjoyed the match and saw the best team win. Its time all of us stopped expecting miracles to happen and consider cricket matches featuring india as just another entertainment option...

Dissecting the COUP!

2006-10-12T15:29:00.000+08:00

About two weeks ago everything seemed so surreal that it almost seemed impossible to come to terms with the ensuing coup d'etat in Thailand. Having been well read on the making of a coup,one cannot be blamed for believing that south american banana republics or at the most a few east and west african states are more at home with such an event. A rude awakening though returning home from what was supposed to be just another routine day's work.The television channels went blank, army personnel with their entire armory were out on the streets,but yet a single shot was not fired. They call it a bloodless coup,no blood on the streets and no smell of gunpowder hanging in the air. Just two days after the coup, tourists and locals alike were seen grabbing their share of the limelight,the scene resembled a gun's n roses live concert.

Well the general impression is that it was just waiting to happen...the army has always had a huge presence in Thailand...i guess they had been in hibernation for over 15 years. 23 Coups in over 70 years...and probably we think that's the lot! Well who knows....a new interim government is in place....already under a huge cloud of criticism for the wrong reasons..the average age of the entire cabinet is 63 years...people just call them a bunch of oldies.. In between the stalemate and mayhem,calm has prevailed over the thai financial markets..the currency is stable and foreign investment is generally unaffected.. reminds me of something i heard the other day they have close to $60 billion in foreign reserves,so what the heck..they can take a few pitfalls in FDI flows..

To an expat the impending rains and flood scenario is more alarming than the political imbroglio. The largest airport in SE Asia,Suvarnabhumi international airport opened on schedule and is being billed as the pride of thailand. Quite an imposing structure with a futuristic facade....44 years of hard work and 4 years of construction have made it possible.. Sadly though the chief orchestrator ,ousted PM thaksin shinawatra couldn't be part of the opening ceremony.. if he deserved to be there or not is open to debate.

Long Live the King!

2006-06-08T15:15:00.000+08:00

The Week long celebrations for the 60th anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama IX of Thailand begin this Friday the 9th of June. He is the world's longest reigning monarch and is reknowned worldwide for his benovelence and dedication to his subjects in the Kingdom of Thailand.

Rediff.com provides an insight into the life and times of the King and why he is and remains the single source of reverence and inspiration for all Thai people.

Where You'd like to be ?

2006-04-22T00:04:00.000+08:00

Worldwide Quality of Living survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting reveals India's two best cities Delhi and Mumbai are ranked at 150 -- 29 positions behind Colombo ranked at 121 and even behind Senegal's capital Dakar (144). Bangalore is ranked at 153 up one position from its 2005 ranking, while Chennai is ranked at 160. The top-ranking city in China is Shanghai in 103rd place (score 80.1).Bangkok city is ranked at 107 down one place from its 2005 ranking of 106.

Zurich ranks as the world's top city for quality of living,the city scores 108.2 and is only marginally ahead of Geneva, which scores 108.1, while Vancouver follows in third place with a score of 107.7. In contrast, Baghdad is the lowest ranking city in the survey, scoring just 14.5. Almost half the top 30 scoring cities are in Western Europe.

The analysis is part of Mercer's annual World-wide Quality of LivingSurvey, covering more than 350 cities, to help governments and multinational companies place employees on international assignments. Each city is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria, including political, social,economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education,transport and other public services. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city, which has an index score of 100.

Three Cheers for Pantip Plaza!

2006-04-12T04:43:00.000+08:00

Having scourged the net and also a few other malls in Bangkok for a decent Digital Camera, i finally got the best deal i could ever ask for , at the Pantip Plaza. My research had shown me that the difference between a decent digital camera and very good one amounts to about an additional 10K, for more or less the same features, with the sole exception of brand name. So a Sony Cybershot 6.1 Mp, camera and a samsung 5.1 Mp camera had more or less the same features, but had a price differential of about 9000 Baht.

Well i went for the Digilife DV Camera, featured on the left. I got it for just 7500 Baht, but hey let's take a look at the features

Its main feature is its 11 Mp image sensor, 8X digital zoom, Movie Record, Picture Record, Voice Record, MP3 Player, PC Camera, Mass Storage Device, 512 MB SD card with an inbuilt memory of 64 MB,NP 60 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, Remote Control, TV Out, and 2976x2232¡F2048x1536¡F1024x768 image resolution.
And add to that a one year warranty.

I have finally got a winner, well i am looking to put it to the test during the Songkran holidays.

What's common between"Dil Se" & " Inside Man"?

2006-04-09T15:02:00.000+08:00

Well bollywood and A R . Rahman sure seem to be going places.
Last night at the cineplex i realised that the soundtrack "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from "Dil se" wasn't just an audio mismatch.
"Inside Man" uses the same soundtrack from Mani Ratnam's Dil se,at the beginning and at the end of the movie.The music is also featured in the background during the climax.

The song did not seem out of place even though we were spared the usual song n' dance routine. " Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya" rolls on with a frame by frame view showcasing New York City. After being voted one of the best five songs of the last decade, AR. Rahman has sure got another accolade to cherish.

Proud to be an Indian!

2006-01-27T00:51:00.000+08:00

Happy 57th Republic Day! Saare Jahan se Accha Hindustan Hamara, hum bulbulen hain iski ye gulistan hamara!

Now about the image, i chose it because it depicts the very core beliefs shared and experienced by every Indian. The lensman needs to be commended for taking such a simple yet transfixing image. I have been hearing in the news, that India is on every delegate's lips at the summit for the World Economic Forum being held at Davos. The gross magnitude of India's domestic market has simply led to one conclusion, that India cannot be ignored anymore. Add to that a continuous growth rate of 8% for 9 successive quarters, now this implies India means business this time round.

But going back to the image there are over 260 million people below the poverty line. That means people who cannot even afford one single square meal everyday, and a majority of them are children, very similar to our girl in the image shown above. It is the common people who have been left out the India's success story over the last decade. I know its better said than done , but just imagine if we all priviledged lot, do our bit in making people aware and even lending a helping hand sometime, then this would go a long way in shaping a brand new India.Today i read an inspirational article on women officers training in the Indian Army's special weapon's unit. Its actions such as these which will propel India into the Big league.

Much Ado about Nothing!!

2006-01-13T01:35:00.000+08:00

The hype for MBA placement season has well and truly started. The IIM's, XIM's and other top rung Management Institutes are ready to declare their triumphs and thus keep on rolling their colossal juggernaut forward, into the new year. But as is always the case , there always lingers an uneasy air over what is told and what actually is true. Reputed MBA schools harboring the top management brains in the country, certainly have a penchnat of going over the top when it comes to quoting the placement records for their respective institutes.

Follow the link below to differentiate between Myth and Reality.

Winds of Change!

2006-01-10T00:17:00.000+08:00

I have always felt that people who deem themselves to be able instructors, clearly define out the pros and cons of situations and then make a decision. After a long time the critical vein in me has managed to thwart all other topics and decided to concentrate on a very burning issue. I hate to say it but certain respectable educational institutions in India have taken it upon themselves to defame the very principles upon which they were founded.

Looking at the past two years and the two years before that, the influx of indian students into Assumption University has undergone a galactic sea of change. I am not questioning the modus operandi of the selection process but the objectivity behind it. In the first two batches i had a firm opinion that quality and accountability were the sole benchmarks considered during selection. These factors have somehow been overshadowed and by the looks of it , quality has certainly given way to quantity. And its but understood that where we have quantity , quality grossly underscores. What could have emerged as one of the best examples of cross-cultural educational success stories to emerge out of India, is sadly heading towards total oblivion. It might take a few years though before wisdom dawns on the responsible perpetrators.

The title aptly describes the mood of other students from the previous batches as they are reluctantly pulled into this new formed quagmire. Well i guess when the going gets tough the tough get going , and optimism for the future stills hangs by a narrow thread. The time has come to seperate the men from the boys.

Is Capital Punishment Justified ?

2005-12-13T23:26:00.000+08:00

Over the past month i've been coming across a lot of reports of executions in many countries where Capital punishment is valid. There have been protests by both the civil society and human rights groups over this supposedly inhuman form of punishment. While in some countries like Singapore there is an attitude of "no compromise", other nations such as India and even the United States have a more compromising attitude where the death penalty is awarded in only extreme cases.

The law in itself is not outlandish or extreme but the way in which it is expedited is what is sparking off the protests. Take the example of a serial killer in the United States who had already spent half his life in prison before being executed. In some cases it is really bizarre that the executed persons have been found to be "not guilty" years after they have been convicted.I guess till date no amount of crime scene investigations or forensic science can validate or claim to be 100% sure about the identity of a murderer or a criminal.

Well i do believe that its got both pros and cons but do we really need to have such a law in today's world ? Personally i am against it, but it sure makes for one of the burning issues in what we call the norms of the civilised world. One protester's banner said it all" Execute justice , not people".

Arabs & Africans love B'wood !!!

2005-11-23T00:47:00.000+08:00

Critics may have snubbed B'wod movies for their over the top acting and exaggerated storylines.But they cannot deny the fact that it is the most successful medium of cinema in the world, as far as viewership and popularity ratings go.

Even the United Nations Development council has gone on to say that since Indian films have over-the-top acting and narration,they have easily overcome the barriers of language. What is even more surprising is their popularity in Africa and Arab nations, people in Senegal and Morocco can enjoy hindi movies without knowing the language and without the help of subtitles. Everything is so telgraphic and reaches out to the people easily.

People also seem to love bollywood since it creates an alternative reality. Most people in UK, US and Asia would agree that for them, the storyline and song and dance routine is more like a "three hour escape ". With an outreach such as this, b'wood can soon bid for having its own version of Oscar Awards.

Tintin Reloaded!

2005-11-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

Going back to our school days most of us had an undying passion for Tintin and his adventures. To this day everyone seems to have read the books numerous times, and still none of us would flinch an eyeball , if we get another opportunity to have a go at them again.

The Adventures of Tintin scripted by Georges Remi under the pen name of Herge have acquired cult status in the world of comics. Herge started in 1931 and went on for around 20 adventures till his death in the early 1980's. The books are action-adventures loaded with humour, satire and eccentric personalities, perfect for kids but substantial enough for adults to enjoy. I would say that the books were well ahead of their time going by the plots and the illustrations.

Well now we all are addicted to the internet and so we can download Tintin ebooks and read them at our convenience. Follow the link below if you want quick access to Tintin, these books are not downloadable , but if you are looking for a quick read its worth it.

http://tintincomics.topcities.com/index.htm

Enjoy and watch this space, Asterix is comin next!