अर्ज किया है.....
एक लफ्झ-ए-मुहोबत का अदनासा फसाना है
सिमटे तो दिल-ए-आशिक और फैले तो जमाना है
-- जिगर
एक लफ्झ-ए-मुहोबत का अदनासा फसाना है
सिमटे तो दिल-ए-आशिक और फैले तो जमाना है
-- जिगर
Friday, February 14, 2014
Harry Potter Movies
What - Harry Potter Movies - 1 to 8
Where - Zee Studio
When - starting from 21st February, every Friday at 9pm
Where - Zee Studio
When - starting from 21st February, every Friday at 9pm
Exhibition at Mumbai's Jijamata Bhosale Udyan (राणीचा बाग)
The 19th exhibition of flowers, fruits and vegetables is going to be held at Mumbai's Jijamata Bhosale Udyan (also known as राणीचा बाग) during 14th-16th February. There are going to be workshops on 15 different subjects related to gardening. The exhibition is also going to have shops selling samplings. The fee for the workshops is Rs 500 for 3 days' training. The entry to the exhibition is free. Timing is 8am-8pm.
These days you cannot just pick up the TV remote and say I want to watch a good movie. There is a good chance that all the movie channels are airing movies that you have seen n number of times. It's much better to scan the prime-time menu in advance and set reminders for the ones that you wanna watch.
Last week, Z Studio aired a good thriller/movie almost every night. I managed to watch three such movies. Check them out if you are fond of the things that go bump in the night:
1. The Fourth Kind
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says 'Alien Abduction'? If you are a fan of X-Files like me, you will say Samantha and Fox Mulder! Jokes apart, a casual search on the internet will reveal that in the scheme of earthly visits by extra-terrestrials, the Fourth Kind refers to the most violent form of interaction - Alien Abductions. And that's exactly what the movie is all about.
The format is as if the movie is based on real-life events - there are snippets of interviews of supposedly real-life people. This is a story of a place called Nome in Alaska. For years people have been disappearing off the face of earth here and there have been investigations by the FBI. Dr. Abigail is a psychologist in Nome. During her routine hypnosis sessions with three of her patients, she notices a bizarre fact - all of them mention seeing an owl outside their bedroom window at night. Before she can piece together what is happening, one of the patients ends up shooting his entire family before killing himself. An assistant is badly shaken by something that she hears in the cassette that Dr. Abigail had given her for transcription. And another of the doctor's patient ends up getting paralyzed during a hypnosis session. The cops, already investigating the possible murder of Dr. Abigail's husband, now start looking at her askance. But she seems to be inching towards a very strange, but not impossible, explanation for whatever has been happening in Nome.
Aside from the fact that many people have indeed been reported missing for years from Nome (though they have never been identified as abductions) and the movie seems to have exploited this for commercial purposes, it is a different take on the 'Alien Abduction' theme. The events happen at a fairly fast pace but unfortunately, you cannot help but feel angry at Dr. Abigail's stupidity in not making sure that her sessions are witnessed by at least one representative of the law enforcement agency.
A good movie to watch if you want to watch an alien flick without the little green men :-)
2. The Midnight Meat Train
There are some horror movies that manage to bring horror into the mundane everyday life that so many people live on this planet and in the process thoroughly creep us out. This movie is one of them.
An amateur photographer, Leon, is trawls NYCs streets in search of photographs that capture danger. Late one night, he comes across a girl getting harassed by a gang at a Metro station. At first, he just takes photos but then feels compelled to intervene to save her. He sees her boarding a train and so is surprised when he reads about her disappearance in the newspapers the following day. Upon further investigation, he comes across a butcher who might have had something to do with it. But when he tries to share his knowledge with the cops, they don't pay much attention to him. Instead, he is questioned about why he decided to help the girl after taking some snaps. Undeterred, Leon decides to get to the root of the matter and begins follows the butcher. But he soon realizes that things aren't as simple as they appear to be.
Definitely a movie that would make you think twice before boarding a late night train!
3. The Presence
Tired of the city's traffic, noise and pollution? Want to take a break and stay at some place that is miles away from the nearest civilization? Think again for you may get more than what you wish for as the woman writer who retires to her father's cabin on an island finds to her horror. She doesn't see the ghost that is haunting the place and doesn't even feel his presence at the beginning. Even when the birds keep colliding against the makeshift lavatory in the jungle and dying, she doesn't think much about it after burying them. Then her boy friend not only makes a surprise visit but also proposes to her. Things start getting downhill from there as the boy friend notices sudden shifts in his fiancee's moods.
What's the story of the ghost that's haunting the cabin? Is he the one causing a rift between the lovers? Will the lovers finally notice the Presence?
The movie does leave behind a lot of questions. A search on the net revealed that there is a lot of discussion about them but no clear answers. That said, I liked this movie because it is very differently made from the rest of the horror movies. The dialogues are minimum, there is no creepy music or creepy sounds and yet it manages to keep you constantly at the edge of your seat. You simply dare not miss a scene or a dialogue for fear that you might miss some vital clue to the happenings.
And this one will definitely make you think again before you make that plan of camping out in the wilderness.
Last week, Z Studio aired a good thriller/movie almost every night. I managed to watch three such movies. Check them out if you are fond of the things that go bump in the night:
1. The Fourth Kind
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says 'Alien Abduction'? If you are a fan of X-Files like me, you will say Samantha and Fox Mulder! Jokes apart, a casual search on the internet will reveal that in the scheme of earthly visits by extra-terrestrials, the Fourth Kind refers to the most violent form of interaction - Alien Abductions. And that's exactly what the movie is all about.
The format is as if the movie is based on real-life events - there are snippets of interviews of supposedly real-life people. This is a story of a place called Nome in Alaska. For years people have been disappearing off the face of earth here and there have been investigations by the FBI. Dr. Abigail is a psychologist in Nome. During her routine hypnosis sessions with three of her patients, she notices a bizarre fact - all of them mention seeing an owl outside their bedroom window at night. Before she can piece together what is happening, one of the patients ends up shooting his entire family before killing himself. An assistant is badly shaken by something that she hears in the cassette that Dr. Abigail had given her for transcription. And another of the doctor's patient ends up getting paralyzed during a hypnosis session. The cops, already investigating the possible murder of Dr. Abigail's husband, now start looking at her askance. But she seems to be inching towards a very strange, but not impossible, explanation for whatever has been happening in Nome.
Aside from the fact that many people have indeed been reported missing for years from Nome (though they have never been identified as abductions) and the movie seems to have exploited this for commercial purposes, it is a different take on the 'Alien Abduction' theme. The events happen at a fairly fast pace but unfortunately, you cannot help but feel angry at Dr. Abigail's stupidity in not making sure that her sessions are witnessed by at least one representative of the law enforcement agency.
A good movie to watch if you want to watch an alien flick without the little green men :-)
2. The Midnight Meat Train
There are some horror movies that manage to bring horror into the mundane everyday life that so many people live on this planet and in the process thoroughly creep us out. This movie is one of them.
An amateur photographer, Leon, is trawls NYCs streets in search of photographs that capture danger. Late one night, he comes across a girl getting harassed by a gang at a Metro station. At first, he just takes photos but then feels compelled to intervene to save her. He sees her boarding a train and so is surprised when he reads about her disappearance in the newspapers the following day. Upon further investigation, he comes across a butcher who might have had something to do with it. But when he tries to share his knowledge with the cops, they don't pay much attention to him. Instead, he is questioned about why he decided to help the girl after taking some snaps. Undeterred, Leon decides to get to the root of the matter and begins follows the butcher. But he soon realizes that things aren't as simple as they appear to be.
Definitely a movie that would make you think twice before boarding a late night train!
3. The Presence
Tired of the city's traffic, noise and pollution? Want to take a break and stay at some place that is miles away from the nearest civilization? Think again for you may get more than what you wish for as the woman writer who retires to her father's cabin on an island finds to her horror. She doesn't see the ghost that is haunting the place and doesn't even feel his presence at the beginning. Even when the birds keep colliding against the makeshift lavatory in the jungle and dying, she doesn't think much about it after burying them. Then her boy friend not only makes a surprise visit but also proposes to her. Things start getting downhill from there as the boy friend notices sudden shifts in his fiancee's moods.
What's the story of the ghost that's haunting the cabin? Is he the one causing a rift between the lovers? Will the lovers finally notice the Presence?
The movie does leave behind a lot of questions. A search on the net revealed that there is a lot of discussion about them but no clear answers. That said, I liked this movie because it is very differently made from the rest of the horror movies. The dialogues are minimum, there is no creepy music or creepy sounds and yet it manages to keep you constantly at the edge of your seat. You simply dare not miss a scene or a dialogue for fear that you might miss some vital clue to the happenings.
And this one will definitely make you think again before you make that plan of camping out in the wilderness.
Last month, I managed to read 3 books but didn't manage to post about them in time. Here's a summary:
1. Inferno - by Dan Brown
Author Dan Brown would have done me a huge favor if he had included a single line at the beginning of this book - 'Fasten Your Seat Belt'. Piazza Del Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Blue Mosque..........the landscape kept changing at a dizzying speed. If Professor Robert Langdon was claustrophobic, I certainly suffered from a bad bout of motion sickness as I read through Dan Brown's Inferno. 'For Heaven's Sake, Stop moving!' I almost screamed more than once :-)
The plot is pretty sinister. Professor Langdon wakes up in a hospital, thinks he is in Boston but when reality dawns, realizes that he is instead in Italy. The doctor, Dr. Sienna Brooks, tells him that he was admitted to the hospital after a bullet grazed his skull. Before he can make sense of this strange situation, a woman barges in the hospital, shoots down Dr. Sienna's colleague in cold blood, when he tries to stop her and shows every inclination to dispatch Langdon next. Dr. Sienna and Langdon escape by the skin of their teeth. This starts them on a whirlwind journey through city's monuments as they try to ponder over a lot of unanswered questions - why is Langdon in Italy? Who is trying to kill him? Who gave him the tiny projector that projects an altered version of Dante's journey through hell? And who is the mysterious lady with long silver hair that Landon keeps remembering?
As I said, the novel is very fast-paced, a bit too much for my taste. But in the end, unless you are staying in some remote corner of the world where a month passes before you see another human being, it is not difficult to identify with the problem of population explosion. As to the means employed to tackle it - well, long after you close the book, there are definitely moments when you wonder if it wasn't that insane after all!
2. The Kill List - Frederick Forsyth
In the US, and in the UK, there is a spate of killings - of people who are distinguished members of the society. In all instances, the killer either ends up committing suicide or is killed by the cops/body guards. But a thread runs common. Each killer is a Muslim, whose personality has undergone a lot of change in recent past as reported by friends or co-workers. A thorough search of the killer's belongings reveals, in every case, a computer with a video cache of sermons - delivered in perfect English by a masked man, whose only visible physical attribute is his intense amber eyes - filled with hate. The authorities name him 'The Preacher'. The responsibility of tracking and destroying him is given to The Tracker. This is the story of how The Tracker goes about it.
Forsyth has always been a favorite author and that was why I went for this book. But frankly, its first few pages made me wonder if I am reading a novel by Forsyth or a history book. I am still not sure why the author needed to waste quite a few pages giving us Tracker's background and a primer on worldwide terrorist activities. In my honest opinion, it only ended up disappointing the readers who would naturally expect a narrative moving at a break-neck speed, given the plot and the author.
That said, there is a distinct possibility that this could happen in real life, especially given the rise in terrorism worldwide. The plot might sound bizarre to ordinary folks like you and me, but it might not be so for those whose job is to prevent it from turning into reality. The Acknowledgments section, with its following lines - 'As so often, some half would prefer not to be revealed. But to those who live in the light and to those who work in the shadows, you know who you are, and you have my gratitude', is a chilling reminder!
And that is the thing that disturbed me the most about this novel.
3. Dillinger - Jack Higgins
The front cover said that this is a Classic novel reprinted for the benefit of those readers who might not have had the chance of reading the earlier versions. But honestly, after reading a few pages, I wondered if I had made a mistake by selecting it for my next reading because the story assumed prior knowledge of some aspects of the life of John Dillinger - a bank robber in the Depression-era US, if what Wiki says is to be believed.
The novel starts when Dillinger manages to break out of yet another prison and makes a run for Mexico. As luck would have it, he crosses paths with Don Rivera and ends up at the place where he is mining for gold. Enter Rose, a half-Spanish, half-Chinese niece of Rivera. Things turn ugly when a group of Indians are trapped in the mine and Rivera lets them die. The rest of the novel is about how Dillinger manages to make a journey back to the US border - through the fight that breaks out between Rivera's men and the Apaches.
I completed reading the book simply because I had started reading it. :-(
1. Inferno - by Dan Brown
Author Dan Brown would have done me a huge favor if he had included a single line at the beginning of this book - 'Fasten Your Seat Belt'. Piazza Del Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Blue Mosque..........the landscape kept changing at a dizzying speed. If Professor Robert Langdon was claustrophobic, I certainly suffered from a bad bout of motion sickness as I read through Dan Brown's Inferno. 'For Heaven's Sake, Stop moving!' I almost screamed more than once :-)
The plot is pretty sinister. Professor Langdon wakes up in a hospital, thinks he is in Boston but when reality dawns, realizes that he is instead in Italy. The doctor, Dr. Sienna Brooks, tells him that he was admitted to the hospital after a bullet grazed his skull. Before he can make sense of this strange situation, a woman barges in the hospital, shoots down Dr. Sienna's colleague in cold blood, when he tries to stop her and shows every inclination to dispatch Langdon next. Dr. Sienna and Langdon escape by the skin of their teeth. This starts them on a whirlwind journey through city's monuments as they try to ponder over a lot of unanswered questions - why is Langdon in Italy? Who is trying to kill him? Who gave him the tiny projector that projects an altered version of Dante's journey through hell? And who is the mysterious lady with long silver hair that Landon keeps remembering?
As I said, the novel is very fast-paced, a bit too much for my taste. But in the end, unless you are staying in some remote corner of the world where a month passes before you see another human being, it is not difficult to identify with the problem of population explosion. As to the means employed to tackle it - well, long after you close the book, there are definitely moments when you wonder if it wasn't that insane after all!
2. The Kill List - Frederick Forsyth
In the US, and in the UK, there is a spate of killings - of people who are distinguished members of the society. In all instances, the killer either ends up committing suicide or is killed by the cops/body guards. But a thread runs common. Each killer is a Muslim, whose personality has undergone a lot of change in recent past as reported by friends or co-workers. A thorough search of the killer's belongings reveals, in every case, a computer with a video cache of sermons - delivered in perfect English by a masked man, whose only visible physical attribute is his intense amber eyes - filled with hate. The authorities name him 'The Preacher'. The responsibility of tracking and destroying him is given to The Tracker. This is the story of how The Tracker goes about it.
Forsyth has always been a favorite author and that was why I went for this book. But frankly, its first few pages made me wonder if I am reading a novel by Forsyth or a history book. I am still not sure why the author needed to waste quite a few pages giving us Tracker's background and a primer on worldwide terrorist activities. In my honest opinion, it only ended up disappointing the readers who would naturally expect a narrative moving at a break-neck speed, given the plot and the author.
That said, there is a distinct possibility that this could happen in real life, especially given the rise in terrorism worldwide. The plot might sound bizarre to ordinary folks like you and me, but it might not be so for those whose job is to prevent it from turning into reality. The Acknowledgments section, with its following lines - 'As so often, some half would prefer not to be revealed. But to those who live in the light and to those who work in the shadows, you know who you are, and you have my gratitude', is a chilling reminder!
And that is the thing that disturbed me the most about this novel.
3. Dillinger - Jack Higgins
The front cover said that this is a Classic novel reprinted for the benefit of those readers who might not have had the chance of reading the earlier versions. But honestly, after reading a few pages, I wondered if I had made a mistake by selecting it for my next reading because the story assumed prior knowledge of some aspects of the life of John Dillinger - a bank robber in the Depression-era US, if what Wiki says is to be believed.
The novel starts when Dillinger manages to break out of yet another prison and makes a run for Mexico. As luck would have it, he crosses paths with Don Rivera and ends up at the place where he is mining for gold. Enter Rose, a half-Spanish, half-Chinese niece of Rivera. Things turn ugly when a group of Indians are trapped in the mine and Rivera lets them die. The rest of the novel is about how Dillinger manages to make a journey back to the US border - through the fight that breaks out between Rivera's men and the Apaches.
I completed reading the book simply because I had started reading it. :-(
Monday, February 10, 2014
Maruti 800: Myth and reality
This article also added a book to my 'rainy-day' collection - The Sanjay Story.
(Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Congress, or of any other political party for that matter!)
This article also added a book to my 'rainy-day' collection - The Sanjay Story.
(Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Congress, or of any other political party for that matter!)
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Do I believe in aliens? Well, no, unless I see the Breaking News of a spaceship docking somewhere on earth and one of them stepping out to have a word with the earthlings. But it was interesting to watch the 'Mysterious Relics' episode of the 'Ancient Aliens' series on the History channel tonight. So I made a note of the books written by people whose opinions were aired during the show. I am sure they would make for fantastic reading on some rainy day :-)
How To Read Prehistoric Monuments
The Lost Civilization Enigma
The Cygnus Mystery
The Source Field Investigations
Black Genesis
How To Read Prehistoric Monuments
The Lost Civilization Enigma
The Cygnus Mystery
The Source Field Investigations
Black Genesis
Leaving on a jet plane
Found a reference to this song in a Mary Higgins Clark novel that I am almost done reading and out of curiosity searched the net for its lyrics. Here they are.
Art House - The Fern Residency, Chembur
'It's a plain old Club Sandwich for heaven's sake! What's gonna be so different about it?' I said incredulously when my brother insisted that I try it on one of the weekends. He had been to the place for one of his innumerable business meetings when he had that sandwich for lunch. Finally, I gave in and said that I would try it.
Must say that the location of The Fern Residency surprised me. Tucked away into a dead-end alley, its surrounding area is probably one of the few remaining places in the city which can be truly called "Open". Of course, when the school that's coming up nearby starts operating the scene would look totally different :-(
I liked the lobby - with its pearly white decor, it looked inviting, airy, spacious and clean but without the sterile look that sometimes goes with the color. There wasn't much crowd - which, frankly, was a relief! A couple of foreigners chatting nineteen to the dozen shortly left leaving us to enjoy our lunch in peace. :-) So I ordered the sandwich - it comes with chicken, fried egg, cheese and ham but I asked for the 'no-ham' version. The image of the pig that I see in my mind's eye every time someone says 'ham' isn't particularly appetizing!
I am not a big eater so when the sandwich was served I was a bit alarmed at its size. Turns out I shouldn't have worried. It was so tasty that I devoured it in no time. The combination of cheese, chicken and the fried eggs was plainly speaking 'out-of-this-world'. The fries were crispy, perfectly seasoned and with a sizable portion. However, I don't think that the raw sprouts go well with the cucumber, iceberg and capsicum pieces in the salad.
I hate to admit it - as any elder sister would - that my younger brother was right about it. Well, at least this time :-)
Must say that the location of The Fern Residency surprised me. Tucked away into a dead-end alley, its surrounding area is probably one of the few remaining places in the city which can be truly called "Open". Of course, when the school that's coming up nearby starts operating the scene would look totally different :-(
I liked the lobby - with its pearly white decor, it looked inviting, airy, spacious and clean but without the sterile look that sometimes goes with the color. There wasn't much crowd - which, frankly, was a relief! A couple of foreigners chatting nineteen to the dozen shortly left leaving us to enjoy our lunch in peace. :-) So I ordered the sandwich - it comes with chicken, fried egg, cheese and ham but I asked for the 'no-ham' version. The image of the pig that I see in my mind's eye every time someone says 'ham' isn't particularly appetizing!
I am not a big eater so when the sandwich was served I was a bit alarmed at its size. Turns out I shouldn't have worried. It was so tasty that I devoured it in no time. The combination of cheese, chicken and the fried eggs was plainly speaking 'out-of-this-world'. The fries were crispy, perfectly seasoned and with a sizable portion. However, I don't think that the raw sprouts go well with the cucumber, iceberg and capsicum pieces in the salad.
I hate to admit it - as any elder sister would - that my younger brother was right about it. Well, at least this time :-)
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