Veni-Vidi-Bloggy : I came I saw I Blogged!

A Post in my mother tongue

2016-10-30T16:47:00.001-07:00

உலகெங்கும் உள்ள தமிழ் உள்ளங்களுக்கு என் அன்பார்ந்த வணக்கம் !

என் பெயர் பிரசன்னா கிருஷ்ணன் . நான் கடந்த சில வருடங்களாக வலைப்பதிவு எழுதி வருகிறேன் . இது என்னுடைய முதல் 'தமிழ்' வலைப்பதிவு (ப்லோக்!)

நான் கிழ்கண்ட இனைய இணைப்பில் (வெப்சைட் லிங்க்) தமிழில் எவ்வாறு வகை (type ) படுத்துவது என்பதை கற்றுக்கொண்டேன்

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjXQ_XAnogA

ஏடும் எழுத்தாணியும் கொண்டு எழுதிக்கொண்டிருந்த மனித இநம் இன்று வலைத்தளத்திலும் வலைப்பதிவுகளில் உட்கார்ந்த இடத்தில எந்த காகிதமோ பேனாவோ இல்லாமல் கணினியின் துணையுடன் பல புத்தகங்களையே எழுதி விடுகிறார்கள். எவ்வாறான ஒரு புத்தகத்தை நானும் எழுதி உள்ளேன் அதனை சில நண்பர்களும் 'ஒன்லைனில்' வாங்கி உள்ளனர் . அந்த அன்பு உள்ளங்களுக்கு என் மனமார்ந்த நன்றி.

எனது அடுத்த நோவேலான 'Hashtag', தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலத்தில் வெளியாக உள்ளது

எப்பொழுதும் போல உங்கள் ஆதரவுக்கு நன்றி !

A working Natural Cure for Wheezing

2016-07-21T14:07:00.003-07:00

A working Natural Cure for Wheezing

For all those who suffer Pollen Wheezing / Asthma
Take all the below together and chew it as it is...You will see the magic work within seconds
1.Cardamom (Elaichi) - 1 Pod with seed
2.Clove - 1
3.Cinnamon Stick small piece
4.Black Pepper - 2
5.Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1 teaspoon

The Intern movie review and Why Emirates flight disappointed...

2016-04-30T17:37:00.001-07:00

3.5/5

Robert De Niro does it again.Predicatable storyline with new elements peeping in from time to time.

A retired experienced marketing person is interested to spend his retirement duration doing some work. He finds an opportunity which talks about a senior intern recruitment. He applies for it and it is for a startup firm.What follows is a hysterical drama.

Anne Hathaway is the CEO who is heavy duty energetic.People scare De niro that she is tough unapproachable and eventually De niro gets assigned directly to work with her.Anne says she doesnt have much for him and will let him know if somethinh comes up.

Watch for the change from an Anne hathaway who wants de niro transferred to someone else to depending on him being her personal advisor.

Some scenes like why to hold a handkerchief with you and why todays kids dont know about chivalry is a nice touch to the subject.

Anne Hathaway plays her part well.Watch out for the comical sequences when Robert is hit upon by ladies. Nice watch (other than the awesome audrey hepburn movie which i will write about in anothet blogpost)on my way back from New Zealand to London.

Thanks Emirates...at least you had a good movie on board to over come the stressfull flights:

An extra hot cabin to start with due to ait conditioning unit failure

A 1 hour 15 minute late start at Auckland Changing the gate from B19 to C25 in last minute to screw passengers resting...coffee drinking or even duty free shopping time.

And keeping toilets at bay just to pour out remaining coffee and tea into the closet....really is that urgent than a bladder burst for a 60 year old who was franctic in front of me!!!

9 Lives - A Short Story - Act 1: Confidence

2016-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Act 1: Confidence

Coach B – Seat 66 and 67 20:00 London St. Pancras Train Station

Sandy searched for the coach at London St. Pancras holding Priya by her left hand and running to get into the coach. It had been an interesting day of shopping, coffee drinking, sharing and smiling…err rather giggling! Settling down in the seats Sandy and Priya started off playing cards as planned. Out came 2 cans of Coors Light Beer and started disappearing into their oesophagus. Sandy was trying to teach Priya how to shuffle cards. Leicester to London was 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ample time for Sandy to do what he had planned. After a long day of meeting friends Sandy’s confidence levels had gone up for what he was about to accomplish.

A group of Chinese college grads get into the coach. One of the girls approaches Sandy and Priya stating that they are a group and would like to sit together and the 2 seats which Sandy and Priya were occupying could be of help to complete the group. Priya made an expression which Sandy immediately knew that it was suggesting to let go of the place. Sandy was happy to do anything for Priya which she must be aware by now. Sandy picked up the jacket and bag of Priya and courteously offered his hand to lift up Priya and then moved on to the exchanged seat after bowing to the Chinese girl. The other friends in the group thanked Sandy and Priya as well. Sandy swelled with pride.
Over a period of 20 minutes, Priya and Sandy play cards and get drunk. Priya starts getting extra happy and noisy and so does Sandy. They exchange happy glances, giggle, laugh out loud, exchange hand squeezes and then it gets to a point where they start playing poker with bets of challenging actions. Meanwhile in the other table the Chinese college grads also play cards as well. The whole coach gets noisy with others who are busy reading or texting in smartphones exchange weird glances.

Till around 20:35 there is no checking of tickets. An overhead announcement declares that the pantry is open and drinks and snacks are served. In another 5 minutes a plump guy walks with a bag to gather garbage and 4 beer cans get into that bag from Sandy’s table and then they continue playing cards. Priya wins a poker. Demands Sandy to dance right now…shouting out high! People in the train strain themselves to see who that is and exchanged glances. Meanwhile the next round ends up with Sandy winning and demanding Priya do a pirouette which she happily obliges to…right there…then and there. Then Sandy ends up smooching Priya. They giggle and cuddle. That’s as happy as it can get.

Sandy noticed in all the while a few things had changed. One of the Chinese girls had stepped out of the group and sat in an opposite seat and was checking something on her iPad. She was swiping away with her right hand. She was also holding her left hand to the ear. Sandy turned back and noticed a passenger sitting 3 seats away with an iPad on her desk and on the phone frantically talking with her legs on the front seat stretched. She slows down for a few seconds on seeing Sandy but then continues on ignoring him. Sandy got back cosy with Priya. It is 20:50 and the lights outside speed past creating a heavenly pattern when Sandy relaxes in the shoulders of Priya.

It is said that If you are trained to be an operative, you notice even the smallest things which may look trivial to others. Smell, touch, visuals, conversations, luggage why even breathing are attributes which raise the antennae of operatives to gauge the situation. The speed at which these attributes register and then trigger calculative thought process in the mind of an operative is an amazing study altogether. Ok…now let us get back to the train. Though he was under the influence of alcohol, Sandy could clearly smell a specific perfume in the coach. It was indeed a very expensive perfume which he himself had once used. He could hear the doors of the coach open behind him and shit after a few seconds. There was only one person entering the coach as the doors shut soon enough.

Heavyset feet stomps were heard. A man 6 foot 2 inches tall brushed past Sandy and went and took a seat which was 2 rows in front. Sandy could not see his face but even without that he could sense trouble. The few seconds when the man crossed him , he had brushed the elbow of Sandy and what he felt was the butt of a gun. To be precise it was a Beretta. Such qualities come with experience to an operative. And Sandy was sure it was loaded. What the 6 footer didn’t know was that Sandy was looking straight at him. Sandy required confidence and courage for this one. This was not he was planning to do today. He was planning to propose to Priya for which he needed confidence. But things have turned out otherwise. There was a situation in hand.
The 6 footer was wearing a baseball cap which concealed his eyes. He was busy shifting some papers from his pockets into his bag, careful enough not to reveal his left trouser pockets where the Beretta rested. Then he noticed something. The 6 footer had a tattoo in his neck. Though not completely visible from the position where Sandy was sitting, he was pretty sure he could see a portion of it which resembled…’a tail!!’. It was the tail of a scorpion. At first Sandy didn’t connect well. But then he suddenly remembered seeing it elsewhere. He tried to recollect going back into pockets of memory of the day. Where had he seen it!

Come on Sandy… where where….? The train was now chugging down slower than normal. Sandy checked his watch. It was 5 minutes before the train would reach the station. Something was about to happen before the train reached its destination. Sandy had to act fast. Who was the target? Was it him? Was it someone else? The 6 footer he noticed was as sober as a man just out of a corporate meeting from a heated argument. He had not looked up yet. Sandy noticed Priya had dozed off. He slowly lifted her hand from his shoulder and placed it. With finesse he just draped her with a blanket he had brought and stood up. He took his bag from the baggage area and walked on while opening the from zipper of the bag and had his hands on his Colt. He didn’t take it out. The train was slowly approaching the station. Sandy slowly walked towards the 6 footer. As Sandy was closing in, the 6 footer looked up casually. His eyes fixed on Sandy.

Then Sandy realised something. The Scorpion he had seen tattooed on the 6 footer’s neck was also on the left arm of the Chinese girl and also in the legs of the girl who sat right behind him. It was a trap. Sandy had very few seconds to react. He was a trained operative and few seconds are more than enough to make history for a trained operative.

Gunshots echoed through the train station as the train came to a halt at the platform. Heavy footsteps of uniformed personnel running towards coach could be heard. Sandy was shot in the shoulder and fell. He was in a state of utter shock. It was not because he was hit. It was not because the 6 footer was shot in the head and was lying on the seat with his seat splattered with blood. He was also sure that the Chinese lady was dead as well. He had turned and taken a shot at the lady who sat behind him with an instinct. That instinct turned out to be fruitful. What left him in a state of shock was the remaining shots were fired by Priya. She stood there with 2 guns in her hand like those hot chick assassins from the Hollywood movies. Sandy’s vision blurred. He had to propose to Priya today. That was the secret deal with Murali before boarding the train. It took him few seconds to realise there was someone else standing near him looking down at him and trying to talk to him. Sandy couldn’t hear anything. Just lip movement. And the figure standing above him was … Murali’. What the hell was Murali doing on the train. Everything turned dizzy for Sandy. He could see Priya running towards him with a worried look on her face.

The train announced arrival at London St.Pancras station and a mishap that had happened in the train and that the doors will not open except the last door from which officials will enter to understand the situation and evacuate the passengers.

Sandy lost consciousness.

Elai Dhonnai and PHITSANULOK Leaf Cups

2016-04-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

What you see above is the Elai Donnai (Leaf Cup) used since ages by the Indian Temples to serve prasadam (The holy offering). This was eco friendly both bio degradable and also could serve as healthy food for the cattle. Now a university in Bangkok PHITSANULOK claims fame by creating the same in a fashionable manner

Please see link below and i would suggest this article to reach them and they visit Indian temples and try the hot pulidharai (Tamarind Rice) and Thair Sadam (Curd Rice) Served in Elai Dhonnai.

People who read this article please share and spread the word so that it can reach this university fast.

A tamil comment from one of my friends on facebook
'Nammu ooru kovil-la saaptu adaye wash panni ...ipo pose Vera..'

News Link

Now Available on Paperback as well

2016-03-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

http://www.amazon.co.uk/collection-stories-Prasanna-Venkatesa-Krishnan-ebook/dp/B00FJYH2GM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458497384&sr=8-1&keywords=prasanna++venkatesa+krishnan

Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane - */***** 1/5)

2016-03-20T09:46:00.001-07:00

A friday evening picking a random movie to watch taught me a lesson. Be careful what you pick to watch...without any review reading. 10 Cloverfield lane has a lot of logical glitches across the movie. Appreciate the acting by the cast which involves a lot of imagination. And the final few minutes leave you amazed and confused. Is this a thriller, mystery, horror, psychopath or a science fiction movie about doomsday. Unless you are too Vetti (without anything else to do in Tamil), You can watch this.Wasted 8 pounds on this movie.

Some special effects scenes are awesome. Photography and cinematography needs special mention. Some shocking scenes like putting a bullet to the head and the alien following people to absorb them. Some sound based suspense scenes

Mahanagar (Bengali Movie-Review) - 4/5

2016-02-13T13:47:00.002-08:00

I am no big film critic like old timer Philip French or the current Baradwaj Rangan. Not as experienced .. neither in movie watching nor in writing reviews in the right way.

I am just a novice excited after watching specific movies and digi-scribbling what comes to my mind. Heres one such review of Mahanagar (The Big City). For a person like Ray who is like a blotting paper inside a Bril Ink bottle where the ink bottle is the film industry and the ink is cinema, Ray is the blotting paper...thoroughly soaked in cinema

Disclaimer: I do not understand a word of Bengali. I watched this movie with subtitles. But for Ray movies, for one who does not understand Bengali...still Ray gives you all required elements minus the beauty of knowing the language which adds the essential element of curry flavor to the cine-culinary creation to enjoy.

Who should watch Mahanagar:
1. Madhabi Mukerjee Fans (Must Must)
2. Ray Fans (Must)
3. Bengali movie fans (Must)
4. Patient movie lovers who have a flare for movies which reflect society at different phases.
5. Movie Buffs (Who like contemporary cinema and Women Centric movies (Movies which have women as the key aspect and not as a one off appearance for commercial elements)
6. Working Women
7. Men who support working women

My Review:
Based on the book Abataranika by Narendranath Mitra, The movie title is apt - 'Mahanagar' translates to 'The big city'. What happens at a particular period in the big city is portrayed vivdly. Characters portrayed are closest possible to reality and leaves your throat dry and heart beating melodramatically.

The main character of the movie, Arati leaves you thinking what would one have done in her situation as a working woman living with in laws who are still in the ages where they feel women of the house should not work and a husband who takes his own sweet time to change and a son who longs for her presence when she starts working. The blossom of a woman who stands for what she believes and stands by it and also from a introvert to a challenging individual is crafted well by the stalwart of Indian movie making. Scenes where she fears looking at the eyes of her husband initially to situations where she stares right into the eye of anybody who questions her belief up until the scene where she confronts her boss are classic cinema ingredients.

Subrata portrays all the ups and downs in the mind of a middle class husband who is torn apart between his career, parents, wife and 'what the society may say'. Himangshu portrays a success seeking India centered Boss in that time frame in India. Priyogopal's character makes you both sympathetic and also irritated as to why do some people never come out of their shell. Subtle elements of Bani (Jaya Bacchan), Edith (The Anglo Indian colleague) add garnishing to the main subject.

All said and done it is the characters Arati (immortalised by Madhabi) and Subrata (aptly portrayed by Anil Chatterjee) which steals the 2 horus 16 minutes 6 seconds Bangali classic film 35mm 14 reels released in 1963.

Scenes to watch out for:
1.Fear of Lipstick (Appears twice in the movie until it is thrown out of the window of Arati's house) - Expression and portrayal of fear / want
2. Subrata Spotting Arati with a cooling glass on the road from a chai shop - Expression
3.When the mother in law sits and fans Arati when she is the sole bread winner of the family when Subrata is jobless due to the bank lockout - reversal of fortune
4.The phone call of Subrata when he asks Arati just in time, not to submit her resignation - Thrilling moment
5.When the doctor departs after bringing home a sick Priyogopal and followed by a car in which Himangsu drops Arati back home late in the night after a successful sales pitch and Subrata stands in the dark protection of his house listening to the end of day conversation of his wife and her boss.
6. Subrata overhearing a conversation of his wife behind an open newspaper in a chai shop (Expressions)
7.The final joy of Arati when Subrata calls out that he believes they both will get a job to support the family

Wiki References:
Praise for Ray: Upon its delayed (1968) release in the United States, it drew praise from Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael and others. According to Ebert "The power of this extraordinary film seems to come in equal parts from the serene narrative style of director Satyajit Ray and the sensitive performances of the cast members." He described Mahanagar as "one of the most rewarding screen experiences of our time".
Madhabi Mukherjee : Watch Mahanagar to see what she contributed to Indian Cinema.
In the early 1960s, she was recruited by Satyajit Ray to portray the role of Arati in the 1963 film, Mahanagar (The Big City).
Recalling her meeting with Ray, Madhabi wrote:
“He read me the entire story, Mahanagar. I was stunned. This was the first woman-centered screenplay I had encountered. I was not going to play second fiddle to the main male character as in all plays and films I had acted in or was familiar with. (p.20)

Youtube Link (Without Subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6x0lbhLA2U

Agent Vinod - 2/10 **

2016-02-06T10:50:00.002-08:00

A formula secret agent movie. Could have ripped open the box office but failed to deliver. Wanted to check why and picked up this movie. The movie had nothing wrong in it. Just that most of it we have already seen in different previous movies leaving us nothing to guess. Traces of Ek Tha Tiger concepts, and mostly James Bond Inspired as the original script was also from Vijay Anand. Shriram Raghavan is a good director. He needs someone to give him a stronger story line. He has the great capability of making a plot look sinister. Awaiting a better movie from him anytime. Thinking of his Jhonny Gaddha as well i think he is obsessed by older hindi movies which is good in a way. But he can pick up something more thrilling from the old movies and think not of a remake but a re-modelled version.

Spotlight: Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu song in the middle of the movie during the Rubaiiyat Auction in a ringtone reminds you that the director has a soiuth Indian touch. Some interesting scenes which shift quickly between 2 different locations in a single sequence reminds you of Bourne movie series and has a good impact.

Spolier: Kareena dies, Saif shamelessly walks away happily ever after. Prem Chopra as usual kicks the bucket.

Shamitabh - Balki brings joy and tears 3.5/10

2016-02-06T10:44:00.003-08:00

A weird script handled with ease and delivered with a stalwart and a budding hero. A mute from the back trodden society comes to mumbai to join movies. an AD (Assistant director played by none other than Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hassan's daughter Akshara) helps the mute by technologically creating a provision to convert vocal vibrations to speech but the the hunt starts for a voice donor. Thats when they meet the enormous and drunk Amitabh who lives out of a graveyeard.

Then the story goes on with peak and trough of human emotions. Danish the Mute rising to the peak and the ego clash between the voice and the hero and different situations ending in a tearsome climax.

Some scenes to look out for : Mughal-E-Asm dislogue, Song sequence of Amitabh singing, kid enacting the mother's death sequence and overall comical sequences.

Watch once...not a blockbuster by strong in emotions at times.

A.R.Rahman : Thalli Pogadhey Tamil Song...Translated Lyrics for those who dont know tamil and will miss the awesome words

2016-02-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

Movie

Links
Youtube Tamil Song Link: Thallipogadhey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IarsrX60bZw
Youtube Telugu Song Link: Vellipo Makkey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxe32LiCcfU

About the movie:
Movie: Acham Enbadu Madamayadu
Cast: Silambarasan (Vinnaithandi Varuvaya), Manjima Mohan (Oru Vadakkan Selfie)
Lyrics : Thamarai
RAP Lyrics: ADK
Singers: Sid Sreeram, Aparna Narayanan, ADK
Mastered By: AR Rahman
Music Programmed and Mixed: T R Krishna Chetan
Flute :Kamalakar
Sound Engineers: Suresh Permal, Karthik Sekaran
iTunes Master: S Sivakumar
Edited by : Anthony Gonsalves
Production :Photon Kathaas / Ondraga Entertainment
Distributed by : Ayngaran International

Lyrics for you
Why is the rainbow changing
'timelets' fading
hearbeats soaring
the mind is at loss of words to convey ...

You dominate my vision increasing my angst towards the eyes
and asking the eyelids to shut

Every moving second is a whiplash line on my back
Converting to linear poetry causing pain
wherein i avoid certain words

You stand vast like the ocean
while I am just a wave
gazing at you, gazing at you
Pour me into the burning fire
Since you are my refreshing spring of water

Oh you are the soundless night when everybody is asleep Oh Oh
oh moon...I stay awake wanting more like you

Like one catches those dancing dreams
I tried reaching out to you in vain
Why is the first kiss delayed leaving the lotus burned

Dont go away or ask me to go away
Both our Lips are Flowery Thorns
Dont go away or ask me to go away
Both our Lips are Flowery Thorns

I keep saying that the physical being is not a barrier
But i also remind you that its a lie
Come near me...

You appear in the dreams and vanish when i wake up
You fill my dreams daily like the rain

Its the addiction of love all over my eyes
But i hold myself back the second i see you
As the seconds perish bit my bit
My love lifetime dilutes
Why does my heartbeat race

Fate plays its game
Don't leave me my love
Don't leave me my love

Why Why
Why Why
Why Why

Oh Dear

No Smoking - Anurag Kashyap leaves you drugged in the script

2016-02-03T15:51:00.001-08:00

For a non-smoker to understand what it feels to quit smoking watch No Smoking. Akad hai sale mein...i mean JOhn Abraham ka 'K' character mein.
The character is arrogant and smokes at his will. What happens when he sees one of his friend has quit smoking and is adamant not to smoke again? What happens when Anjali decides to leave K for smoking? What happens when K meets Baba Bangali?

I would say ... watch the movie.

There is a scary resemblance to concentration camp treatments. There are locales which remind you of dungeons of punishment post death like Inferno. It is abstract...very abstract for those who do not know what smoking is and yet it leaves a bad touchy feeling when you end the movie.

For those who smoke...i dont know it might even feel like a nightmare. Especially the demonish smiles on the face of Ranvir Shourey when he get K the appointment.

Once a friend of mine said that a guy who was a chain smoker quit smoking one fine day when he decided to binge smoke for hours which resulted in him not liking the flavour anymore in his mouth.

But this movie is not about that....Its a different angle and Anurag does justice to his script and choice of actors.

Movie Buffs please do not miss it! I know you wouldnt have. I have seen this very late. But nevertheless!

Zentangle Art - 3.5 Inches by 3.5 Inches Textured Paper with Special Pens - Inspired

2016-01-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

After a long gap a Zentangle from me

Inspired by "Mona Lisa of the North," painting by the Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer, - A Girl with a Peal Earring. Found in the Mauritshuis Gallery in the Hague.

Movie Review: Thani Oruvan : 3.5/5 (Must Watch)

2015-09-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

We walk into Woodlands Theater after parking the bike and the crowd is all energetic buying tickets in queue. A tall cut out of Jayam Ravi made by a fan invites you. some posters of 'Payum Puli' is also there for the movie of Vishal running in Symphony but we ignore it. After all the context today is the Jayam Ravi / Aravind Swamy starrer!

I had picked up my tickets from book-my-show at a cost of 50 Rs per ticket after getting exhausted searching for tickets in Sathyam group app and over phone for Rs.120. No tickets till Tuesday they said! Means a good movie??

The crowd slowly starts building in and some advertisements and general government videos are placed in front of you. People settle in with Biryani packets and 'Amma' water bottles in one corner and others with smartphones, chips packets and coke bottles in the other. A well blended crowd i must say. After having lost the flavor of traditional movie watching ever since watching movies on a multiplex, it felt different here.

Some confusion about same seat numbers being allocated to 2 groups gets resolved and the trailer to 'Puli' movie of Vijay starts of...and then the atmosphere changed taking me back to my school/college days. Whistle blowing (The good kind), Claps that resemble the thunder and shouts of 'Thalaivaa'...and then from nowhere this college lad tears a sheet of paper and creates a makeshift rain of white paper to welcome his 'Thalaiva' on screen. There begins the movie going experience!

So all settled, the movie reel starts.

And then on its an awesome experience of story telling. After a long time i felt a movie has left me entertained till the end except one song in the movie which made me even walkout (for not having the smoking habit i came out for a coffee just to realize/recollect that coffee counters close after intervals in traditional theaters unlike multiplexes)

Real Real Credits:
The storyline and story telling method itself is the bloodline of the movie...core success by itself
A no nonsense hero with no punch dialogues for a change- Well performed Ravi
A cold blooded villain suave, menacing / spine chilling (and that too an old time chocolate heartthrob) - Aravind Swamy is back in this movie...not in Kadal mind you
Thambi Ramaiah...a comical dad to a cut throat villain, leaves you in splits of laughter when he is on screen

Scenes to watchout for without spoilers
Ravi's house with the research (though reminds us of many other US cops)
Push Pull hidden message from Ravi's friend
Bug Detector Revelation (Attracted thundering applause and relief from the crowd as if they were in that position)

Watch it to know more and enjoy!

Watch out for Mission Possible: Jhol Nation...

2015-09-01T10:46:00.002-07:00

Mission Possible: Jhol Nation

Satyam Shantanu Sundaram - The 3 Ss...and yet again when we continue to miss the big picture..

2015-08-12T11:03:00.001-07:00

Satyam Shivam Sundaram - The 3 Ss...and yet again when we continue to miss the big picture..

I am sorry but i could not resist writing this blog today. As i type this blog, i have a strange feeling! 3 great gentlemen whose name start with S. All 3 are leading the charts today. As you sit and read this blog, media rejoicing through your television sets about being proud, we all Indians are very very proud of making our country's name shine. Thanks a ton! There are definitely creative gentlemen who are making their mark outside our country.

Here is something to think about.
They can build great teams and bring forth untapped talent in this very sub continent and hence create numerous jobs. Maybe 3 more wonderful startups could have got created in India to nurture local talent. Maybe they can bring in their knowledge and make Indian academic syllabus change its approach to grooming talent. But why is this just a 'Maybe' in some corner blog of mine? Am i the only one viewing it in this angle? Or is this blog to be treated as a daily dosage of musing or crib?

Maybe...Maybe...There lingers the question mark...?

I am not hooting "nation really wants to know", But do i need to speak for myself only in this topic?

Something to think about...

''Ant Man'' - ** 2/5

2015-08-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

When Peyton Reed made ''Break Up'' I thought he was good. But after seeing Ant Man now I feel he has raised his bar. If Peyton made ''Break Up'' Paul Rudd acted in ''Knocked Up'' as Pete! How strange is that?

To See the Friends Fame ''Mike Hannigan'' whose reel name is Paul Rudd playing Ant Man is another different choice by the director. He matches the comic hero role well. Executed neatly...especially his encounter with the Avenger and the futile attempts with his friends who help him till the end.

For a person who plays Rep. Peter Russo in House of Card, Corey Stoll disappoints as the villain aka ''YellowJacket'', he would prove to be a good henchman.

When i saw Evangeline Lilly aka Bailey Tallet of Real Steel fame as Pym's estranged daughter Hope van Dyne,i was happy about the choice. She reminded me of Priyanka Chopra of Don somehow when she performed the martial arts sequence!!

Watch out for Michael Peña as Paul Rudd's friend. He is one hell of an amusing character in the movie...don't wanna break the comical part until you see it.

Icing on the cake, you get to see an old Michael Douglas unaffected by his age when he performs his act.

The special effect sequences with the ants is worth a watch. The fight after Yellow Jacket takes his form reminds me of Jetix though!

Completing with a link to getting Ant Man onto the list of avengers leaves you expecting a sequel.

Verdict: 2/5 - Entertainment minus the Marvel-Avenger Awesomeness

Times of India - On Zentangle and a sample Zentangle created by Me!!!

2015-06-09T11:03:00.002-07:00

Uttama Villain on Zentangle

2015-05-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

Uttama Villain on Zentangle

My second Zentangle Art.

2015-05-12T10:38:00.002-07:00

My Second Zentangle creation. Thanks to Sandhya Manne Ma'm for making me Zentangle Enabled.

Why Ola Auto works for us in Chennai

2015-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Why Ola Auto works for us in Chennai
====================================
Download the App and the First thing Ola Auto goes by is the Meter....which is a boon for Chennai...So no arguments
Extra convenience charge is 10 Rs 'fixed'
60 seconds for a driver to accept your request
Driver name and number available once he/she accepts it
You can pay by cash! or By Ola Money!...No credit Pls.
Driver is bank account and smartphone enabled
Tracking on GPS to know where you driver is
Sending a link to your family to track where your ride is at any point of time for safety measures
Your friend downloads the Ola App and puts the code 'VF0F5Q' onto it, your friend gets 50 Rs Ola money credit and you too get it
You can pay up some amount upfront in Ola and retain it as Ola money to avoid carrying cash
Ola money gets deducted each time you complete a ride based on a message sent to you by Ola which you need to communicate to the driver.

Try it out ... Leave your feedback about my article here and feedback about Ola in their website or in the app.

Kadai Paneer Dry - Culinary test came out well!

2015-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tried making some dry kadai paneer last week. Came out well. And here is how it happened.

2 green chilies get chopped (rat a tat a tat on the cutting board) and put on a corner of the plate.

1.5 inches of ginger gets crushed into paste - Squish! and placed in another corner of the same plate!

A gathering of 5 to 6 red juicy tomatoes get treated with the knife by slowly slicing them into big pieces (Smooth) and again they end up in the same plate in another corner.

Now 2 colorful Capsicums (Red and Green) get their cut...i mean they get cut into small pieces and end up in a small cup as the plate we used is overflowing now.

Now get to the Grind....Take 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds+1.5 tea spoons coriander seeds and some dry ginger powder and grind them coarsely in a mixer ... You should get a mild sneezy feeling when you open the lid of the mixer...!

The smooth and elegant slab of Paneer (250 Gms approx) gets evenly cut into cubes (Picasso will be happy when he hears Cubes!)

Keep some Garam Masala and Coriander leaves handy for garnishing in the end.

Now start cooking. Out comes the main character...Mr.Kadai on the stove. 2 to 3 generous spoons of oil goes into the Kadai and when it is ready to take it...carefully drop the chilies and ginger paste into it and be a little away from the kadai...you dont want proof of cooking on your skin...do you eh!

Once the raw smell goes away and the ginger and chillies have started smelling enchanting, add the tomatoes and keep sauting in low flame for 5 to 8 minutes. Now the real salsa starts. Add the Grind (Cumin+Dry Ginger+Coriander) mix powder to the tomatoes and keep stirring until you see the oil give in and mix well with the tomatoes making it shrink like the skin and become slowly into a semi paste.

In parallel processing, pick up another kadai and have 2 spoons of oil heat up where you add the capsicum and some salt and start frying it in deep fry mode. Test a few pieces until you feel it is not hard and has fried into a softer texture. Add the friend capcicum to the red simmering paste of tomatoes and keep frying for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Paneer and start cooking for 10 minutes. Take breaks to avoid pain in the wrist...dance a few seconds with the ladle in your hand!!! It helps.

Once you feel the Paneer has blended well with the masala...add some garam masala and salt and mix well in the heat. Then finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve...Kadai Paneer Dry!

Enjoy!

Fast and Furious 7 - Quick Review

2015-04-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

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Unlimited Action, A sleek and stylish villain, Drama and Sentiment in counted dosage, above all heavy duty damage to property. A closing dedication to Paul and setting up an expectation for another movie in the series with Jason Statham confined to 4 walls and The Rock signing off...

Yes, you heard it right. Thats what the 7th FAF has to offer. Sentimental scenes remind you of Bolly, Tolly, Molly and what not. A hacker who leaves you wondering how can hackers look so great? Dominique Toretto Bam Bam...all oozing with muscle and this time he gets a perfect street fight with Statham on a roof (Reminds me of the MGR Nambiar Days)...but seriously you flood the screen with bullets on one end and show up a street fight in the other!!

Not to forget the short and sweet role for an Indian actor which leads to the Middle east chaos! The middle east minutes leave you gaping at the damage to property or the special effects which show portions of it happen! Really...! A car jumps out of three buildings...really! One thing is for sure, you do not feel un-entertained till the end.

Looking forward to see Vin Diesel in a new avatar...maybe a historical adventurous journey I would say this would be my last visit to the Franchise...Without Paul it leaves a void. Hey Paul..We all will miss you. The last few minutes of dedication in the movie left my eyes moist.

Dedicated to Paul.

The unparallelled Kamal Hassan - Crazy Mohan Combo

2015-01-31T10:24:00.001-08:00

Its time to set down your remote when a Tamil movie which has the deadly combo of Kamal Hassan and Crazy mohan in it, has been tuned in. Rib tickling barrage of dialogues, face expressions matching and complementing, situations so vivid that you can relate to one of your own from the past, snippets which you tend to remember so well that you utilize it when among friends in the apt situation. Whats more interesting is the character which is guzzled up inside Kamal, comes out effortlessly. Be it Chandru 'The Manastan' in Indian or the Kameshwaran in MMKR. Dialogue delivery is an art. That too when it comes to comical dialogues, the face expression should be apt, be it dead pan or innocent

For instance the scene in Vasool Raja where curd is given with sugar to Crazy Mohan before writing the exam on behalf of Kamal is a laughing riot. I am sure some of us would have connected to our own past there.Or be it the scene in Panchathandiram where Munnadi Pinnadi is exchanged between Kamal, Sriman, Nagesh while explaining to the inspector, Crazy stands out and Kamal complements him aptly.

You ought to watch out. By the time you roll over and laugh for a comedy sequence, the next one whizzes past you without realization. So this leaves us wanting to watch such movies again and again and again. It is a like a reference to comedy movie making. Stack it up to laugh out your will and stay healthy.

Waiting for more from the Duo.

Gone Girl - Enjoyed the movie

2015-01-31T10:01:00.002-08:00

Gone Girl

Do you need to know the blood group of your wife by heart?

After a long time, a movie that leaves you wanting for more.Ben does his job as directed. The story line is amazing. limited story related gore. Awesome screenplay. A slap in the face of media.

Gone Girl. A must watch for those thrilling psychotic moments. The main character is awesome. The husband who is left to himself unable to trust anybody is startling revelation. Background score at specific moments are good. Watching the guy from 'How i met your mother' in a negative role also is different