It reminded me of a scene from another movie - The Abyss. A giant wave is forming on the horizon - ready to engulf everything in its watery fold. Suddenly it pauses and then recedes completely. The aliens who have decided to destroy the hopeless race that is mankind have realized that there is hope yet. And all it has taken is a 3 word sentence uttered by a man trapped thousands of leagues below the sea - "Love You Wife".
"The Day The Earth Stood Still" assumes a chilling significance because we are not very far from the scenario that has been depicted in this movie - mankind hell-bent on destroying the very planet on which it walks, the warring nations and broken, fractured relationships. The alien Klaatu is right when he says that "You are treating the planet as you treat each other"!
So the aliens decide that enough is enough. And they come down for a visit - in their little spheres with the mother ship docking right in the middle of the Central Park. (I personally felt that the grounds in front of the White House would have been a better landing site!) A crack team of scientists is assembled to deal with this situation. The president and vice-president are sent to a secure location and the Secretary of Defense misjudges the situation terribly.
The alien who steps out of the mother ship - Klaatu - is shot and then rushed to a hospital. The doctors are surprised at his human body. But when Dr. Helen Benson asks him the billion-dollar question "Have you come to save us?" he simply says "I have come to save Earth"!
The movie ending is predictable. There isn't much to this movie except the message - we change when we are at the brink of destruction.
But if we believe that then the question that remains is - aren't we at the brink yet? Because we sure as hell aren't changing!
Welcome to Swapna's World! I might not update this daily but when I do I will try to post something interesting or thought-provoking. Whether you like my postings or not, do post your comments. Bouquets and brickbats both are welcome :-) So happy reading and take care of yourself!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A small step for a man.....
I just saw the words "Apollo Secrets" and thought that this program could be about the conspiracy theories around man's first moon landing. However, there was a better treat in store for me. The program was about NASA's activities that led up to the moon landing. And as I watched Armstrong and Aldrin bounce about on the lunar surface, I realized that it was exactly 40 years ago that this event happened!
Thank God there wasn't any "Houston, we have a problem!" that day :-
Thank God there wasn't any "Houston, we have a problem!" that day :-
Jurassic Park is one of my all-time favorite movies. So I was intrigued by the title "Tyrannosaur Canyon" - the Author, Douglas Preston. But I was sorely disappointed! The novel is about a Tyrannosaur fossil in a canyon somewhere in New Mexico and the race to claim the title for the same. The author uses many unfamiliar terms like e.g. high mesas and the description at times sounds like a lesson in Geology. But I rather hate to stop reading a book once I start and that was the sole reason why I read upto the end!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
अर्ज किया है
ख्वाइश ऐसी करो की आसमा मिल जाए
दुआ ऐसी करो की खुदा भी मिल जाए
यु तो जीने के लिए पल बहोत कम है
लेकिन जियो इस तरह की हर पलमे जिंदगी मिल जाए
दुआ ऐसी करो की खुदा भी मिल जाए
यु तो जीने के लिए पल बहोत कम है
लेकिन जियो इस तरह की हर पलमे जिंदगी मिल जाए
Some forwarded SMSs:
It's better to devote more attention to a "Successful Exit" than a "Favorable Entrance". What matters is not "Being applauded when you Arrive" - but "Being missed When you Leave"!
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If you trust someone, trust till the end.
Whatever the results may be, in the end either you will have a Very Good Relation or a Very Good Lesson!
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If you trust someone, trust till the end.
Whatever the results may be, in the end either you will have a Very Good Relation or a Very Good Lesson!
Monday, July 20, 2009
It's funny how you come to know about some things when you are not thinking about them. Yesterday I was reading a review of a new restaurant that has come up on Hill Road, Bandra - Puro. The article mentioned that the name means "Pure". I wondered where I have heard this word before.
And then I remembered it was the leading lady's name in Amruta Pritam's Pinjar!
And then I remembered it was the leading lady's name in Amruta Pritam's Pinjar!
It was good to watch "Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix" on Pogo yesterday evening - till Sirius Black died! I SMSed a friend saying I was watching this movie on TV but have decided against watching "Half-Blood Prince". He SMSed back asking me not to form an opinion before seeing the movie.
The truth is that Dumbledore is one of my most favorite characters from the series. I will see Voldemort defeated first before I can watch Dumbledore die. And since the last novel is going to be made in 2 movies, I know it's going to be a long wait till 2011.
Welll, anything for Albus Dumbledore!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Forever in search of interesting programs on the same old TV channels, I had stumbled upon 9X channel during my stay in Trivendrum. Shut up in the hotel room on the weekend with nothing but the office laptop for company, I had endlessly flipped through channels till I landed on “दिल से दिल तक” (I remember writing on this blog earlier about it). I loved it and on returning back to Mumbai, I have tried to watch it whenever possible on weekends. This program is aired 8am-12am on all days, of course.
In this program, they play songs from Hindi movies interspersed with fillers like “Kuchh Kook Hota Hai” – in which a chef tells you how to make a dish without him cooking it – and “Biwi o Biwi” which shows the banter of a homely looking couple. But my most favorite part of this program is the chitchat between 2 friends that begins at 10. One of them is married while the other one is single and they talk about everyday life. The most refreshing part is that it doesn’t sound scripted at all, just what people like you and me will talk with our best friend when we catch up with him/her. :-)
Oh, and if you have free time after 12pm, you can catch Chef Nikhil Rastogi whip up delicious food in रस्मे रसोई.
If by a queer twist of fate, anyone from 9X happens to read this – Guys, you are doing a fantastic job!
In this program, they play songs from Hindi movies interspersed with fillers like “Kuchh Kook Hota Hai” – in which a chef tells you how to make a dish without him cooking it – and “Biwi o Biwi” which shows the banter of a homely looking couple. But my most favorite part of this program is the chitchat between 2 friends that begins at 10. One of them is married while the other one is single and they talk about everyday life. The most refreshing part is that it doesn’t sound scripted at all, just what people like you and me will talk with our best friend when we catch up with him/her. :-)
Oh, and if you have free time after 12pm, you can catch Chef Nikhil Rastogi whip up delicious food in रस्मे रसोई.
If by a queer twist of fate, anyone from 9X happens to read this – Guys, you are doing a fantastic job!
Chakh Le India - NDTV Good Times
As I was writing this, I managed to watch one episode of “Chakh Le India”. The footage of the Golden Temple made me realize once again that I need to go there to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of eating at a Langar. The host Aditya Bal followed this up with cooking his version of Butter Chicken.
Now, this dish has been criticized enough for its generous (and unhealthy!) use of butter and cream but nevertheless is one of my few favorite items from the North Indian cuisine. So I watched with interest. The marinate mixture had the “usual suspects” like ginger garlic paste, curd, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder but the surprise ingredients were lemon juice, vinegar and finely chopped onion. The gravy base was of course tomato puree but I was a bit surprised when he added finely chopped green chilies to it.
I have tried many different recipes of this dish at home but never managed to get the same taste as the one served up in the restaurants. I guess I will not follow Aditya Bal’s recipe for the gravy but I will add these new ingredients next time I marinate the chicken breast pieces for Butter Chicken :-)
Now, this dish has been criticized enough for its generous (and unhealthy!) use of butter and cream but nevertheless is one of my few favorite items from the North Indian cuisine. So I watched with interest. The marinate mixture had the “usual suspects” like ginger garlic paste, curd, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder but the surprise ingredients were lemon juice, vinegar and finely chopped onion. The gravy base was of course tomato puree but I was a bit surprised when he added finely chopped green chilies to it.
I have tried many different recipes of this dish at home but never managed to get the same taste as the one served up in the restaurants. I guess I will not follow Aditya Bal’s recipe for the gravy but I will add these new ingredients next time I marinate the chicken breast pieces for Butter Chicken :-)
True Believer - by Nicholas Sparks
It might be because I am a practicing Hindu – follower of a religion that prescribes cremating the dead - or it might be that I have seen too many Hollywood horror movies in which the zombies tumble out of their graves to attack the nearest unsuspecting small town, but I have always been a little uneasy about the cemeteries.
So I wondered about the nonchalant way in which everyone seems to be walking into the Boone Creek Cemetery – despite the sightings of the ghostly lights that dance among the headstones there on foggy nights. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone nuts. I am talking about the novel “True Believer” - by Nicholas Sparks – that I just finished reading.
The story in a nutshell goes something like this. Jeremy Marsh is a journalist – the kind who investigate every reported incident allegedly involving the supernatural and try to explain it using Science. After his successful unmasking of a famous psychic - who is supposed to connect with those who have passed on – he hears about these lights at Boone Creek. He meets many small town Americans there – Doris who runs the restaurant Herbs, Lexie who is the Librarian, Rodney who is the deputy Sheriff and Mayor Gherkin. And he sees the mysterious lights that dance about in that slowly sinking cemetery.
I am not a fan of romantic novels so I must admit that it felt a bit funny reading about a middle aged journalist, with one failed marriage under his belt, who travels to this small-time American town in search of mystery and finds instead a mysterious woman who brings him at an important crossroad in his life.
But then the dancing lights on the foggy nights more than made up for it. :-)
So I wondered about the nonchalant way in which everyone seems to be walking into the Boone Creek Cemetery – despite the sightings of the ghostly lights that dance among the headstones there on foggy nights. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone nuts. I am talking about the novel “True Believer” - by Nicholas Sparks – that I just finished reading.
The story in a nutshell goes something like this. Jeremy Marsh is a journalist – the kind who investigate every reported incident allegedly involving the supernatural and try to explain it using Science. After his successful unmasking of a famous psychic - who is supposed to connect with those who have passed on – he hears about these lights at Boone Creek. He meets many small town Americans there – Doris who runs the restaurant Herbs, Lexie who is the Librarian, Rodney who is the deputy Sheriff and Mayor Gherkin. And he sees the mysterious lights that dance about in that slowly sinking cemetery.
I am not a fan of romantic novels so I must admit that it felt a bit funny reading about a middle aged journalist, with one failed marriage under his belt, who travels to this small-time American town in search of mystery and finds instead a mysterious woman who brings him at an important crossroad in his life.
But then the dancing lights on the foggy nights more than made up for it. :-)
Highway on My Plate - NDTV Good Times
I managed to catch another episode of “Highway on My Plate” (NDTV Good Times) after a long time. This time it was Benaras. The episode predictably started at a Paan ki Dukaan for a Paan Benaraswala. An interesting tidbit is that none of these Paan shops sell cigarettes because Paan is offered to the Gods in Benaras and hence considered very sacred. Now wouldn’t we be a better nation if the Paanwalas everywhere followed this example. This particular shop even had a menu card like pamphlet that explained the ill-effects of gutka!
Who would have thought that there would be a Middle Eastern restaurant in Benaras? But there is one and serves all the usual fare – Babaghannoush, Falafel, Hummous and Pita.
Their trip ended at a Kachoriwalas’. And as they tucked into the Hot Puris, vegetable and Jalebis, I once again marveled at our rich culinary landscape!
Who would have thought that there would be a Middle Eastern restaurant in Benaras? But there is one and serves all the usual fare – Babaghannoush, Falafel, Hummous and Pita.
Their trip ended at a Kachoriwalas’. And as they tucked into the Hot Puris, vegetable and Jalebis, I once again marveled at our rich culinary landscape!
Cooking isn’t Rocket Science - NDTV Good Times
I am not sure if I have written on this blog about another Culinary program on NDTV Good Times – Cooking isn’t Rocket Science. This one is hosted by Manju Malhi. It was only yesterday that I was able to catch another episode of this.
If you can get past the unflattering close-ups of Ms. Malhi and somewhat jerky shots of the food that’s being prepared, this is a good program. It was about Greek food yesterday. And as the host feasted on one Greek dish after another I wondered if we are going to learn any Greek cooking. Thankfully, after a few minutes she did turn to cooking a Greek spread.
If you are one of those who like to watch food being prepared, don’t miss this one. It really makes you feel as if cooking is child’s play!
If you can get past the unflattering close-ups of Ms. Malhi and somewhat jerky shots of the food that’s being prepared, this is a good program. It was about Greek food yesterday. And as the host feasted on one Greek dish after another I wondered if we are going to learn any Greek cooking. Thankfully, after a few minutes she did turn to cooking a Greek spread.
If you are one of those who like to watch food being prepared, don’t miss this one. It really makes you feel as if cooking is child’s play!
NDTV Good Times is rapidly turning out to be my kind of channel. There are 2-3 other interesting culinary programs that I have only been able to watch the tail-ends of – Around the world in 85 Plates, Chakh Le India and Fully Fed Up. I promise I will give a low-down on these when I manage to watch a few episodes fully.