Musings

I am nice

A list of mundane questions, asked to me by my intensely sensible and knowledgeable relatives. I cringe that I have to put down this list and make myself look like a complete idiot. But lonely men have nothing much to talk about, do they. I am legend:

 1. So, how's the weather there in hyderabad? I came to hyderabad once in 1978, it used to be hotter in summer and colder in winter then.

My Answer : Its good. It is colder than previous years' winter but it is manageable

What I actually wanted to say : Yes, summers and winters are like that. Infact they have been like that since I was born. Thanks for enlightening me that it was the same in 1978 as well. 

2. Did you take a flight? How much did it cost? How long does it take to reach CBE from HYD?

MA : Yes. Approx 3000. 1 hour 15 mins

WIAWTS : Yes, I did take a flight. Last time I saw you, I listed down 10 reasons why I come by flight and flight alone. Thanks for caring enough to ask for the prices. Inflation has increased the prices and it would be great if you provide me with a small allowance for my stupid trips to see you folks. It still takes the same 1 hour 15 mins. And - and please don't ever ask these questions again since I have been answering them for 3 years now. I am in need of a BREAK.

3. Hyderabad is a nice place. Have you settled there? How about food - are you getting TN food? You shouldn't have any problems because there are tamilians from Ambur there settled in every street.

MA : Yes, its a nice place. I have settled well - I do get TN food but its scarce. I don't see much TN restaurants or people there. Probably I am staying in a wrong place

WIAWTS : Yes, its a nice place. You are a moron to think that I would be still settling there after 3 and a half years. No - I do not get TN food - I wouldn't be arsed to be eating undercooked and spicy masala curries if I could get decent TN food. And hell no - I haven't seen any Ambur person there in any of the 139 streets I have visited in Hyderabad. And am getting tired of being asked to search for one again.

4. Hyderabad teems with muslims. More than 75% there are muslims. You can find a mosque in every nook and corner of hyderabad. All of them speak only urdu - no hindi or telugu. In streets its rare to see a girl without Burqa.

MA : A wry smile along with "..in my area muslim population is a bit less but I have heard all of the above is true in Old Hyderabad area" (these comments are no longer made directly at me but it happens so that someone invariable wanted to talk about their knowledge of hyderabad from their single trip in you-know-the-year-is-1978 and wanted to share it with someone and at the end cast a look at me to provide approval. God..err..I mean Allah knows what would happen if I disapprove).

WIAWTS : Hyderabad doesn't teem with muslims - I am not bothered with the percentages for I am not involved in taking a census to provide you knowledgeable folks with correct statistics but if its 75%, then I am Will Smith. People speak telugu as well as hindi and urdu - I speak in English in office and am bothered only about that. No - girls do come in sarees, chudis, skirts, pants and what-not including a small percentage who wear burqa's. Quite frankly, I like girls in the former dresses.

5. How's work? When are you going to US? I have a cousin whose son is searching for a job. He has excellent marks and outstanding English but still seems difficult to get a job. Can you get one in your company?

MA : Work is good. They do not send us to US in our company that often. Sure, I do remember him - ask him to send me a mail. I will guide him.

WIAWTS : Work is good and am not interested in going to US. I have told this to you a dozen times already but you are hell-bent on believing that I am a big rogue in my office and hence not being sent to office. I do not wish to change the perception. If I was rogue enough, your face would have been disfigured by now. Yes, I remember that guy - wasn't his name *****. Yes - I know his excellent marks - he had 54% in twelfth and has completed BSc Computer science with 67% from a lowly half-stew of a college in Erode. And his english - I remember that well too - he had completely floored me by "...I underplayed your problem..." in his last mail when he simply wanted to say that he understood me...gee, thats a nice way of saying it. And I have told you already that I am not in charge of recruitment in my company or in any other for that matter. I can send his resume to concerned but it seems no one wants that guy - leave us alone and ask him to complete his PG atleast.

There are just too many to list here. I am getting tired and for once I believe the list is complete. No use in filling space with dirt. If all this doesn't prove that I am nice then am not sure what will. 

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My favourite last-lines

In this season of lists, this bloglet proudly presents another utterly-useless list. This time its my favourite last lines from whatever I have read/seen so far. Let's begin:

1. "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." - The Catcher in the Rye.

The book had already made a strong case of its underlying philosophical current that this line seemed redundant. But it was a fitting end. A really fitting end and I hate to say that its truly true.

2. "... grinned smugly. It was the grin of a winner. That made two of us. " - Max Payne

Yes - its the old macho computer game. I had never believed a game could have a gripping story until I played Max Payne. He was awesome - not just in his bullet-time movements but in expressing his thought process as well. The last lines were spoken when he finally killed every last member of the crime family (I forget the italian family's surname) who killed Payne's wife and child. The scene made a lot of sense, when I played the game - it still does, which is an irony.

3. "...Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. And I've tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me." - Saving Private Ryan

Yes - its not the sci-fi thrillers which I have watched over and over again. I have watched the Matrix, terminator and V for Vendetta many times for their grippy dialogues but none of them have a last-line that is worth remembering. Saving Private Ryan - a gripping emotional tale for the tear-bearers had such a line. The lines are spoken by Ryan who has grown older now, in front of Capt. Miller's grave (Tom Hanks). When Miller and his men gave their life to save Ryan, he had only the words "Earn this..earn it" to say to Ryan. There is something vaguely undramatic about a war memorial and the dialogue was said in one - it made me think about a lot of things in my life the first time I saw the film. It still does.

4. "If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles." - Troy

The lines are by Odysseus at Achilles' funeral. It was indeed a gripping dialogue in a film which has some comical fighting, great music (atleast according to Ramak) and good dialogues.

5. "I love you" - Rocky

Just when I was reeling in exultation at Rocky Balboa for having done himself proud by staying in the ring with the World Champion for 15 rounds, comes his love to confess her love. There was no bigger moment in the film than this. The film is a classic - the last line was more so.

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A list of ires

There is humour in all that we say - we see humour in kudumi's project farce and our own travails in searching for a new job. Seldom do we sit in home and decide that we need a light-time. Its always light-time in home. Personally, I am one who is very short-tempered. And likewise, all my like able heroes also need to be short-tempered and get maddeningly angry at some point. Below is a small list of film-scenes I liked because the hero got..well..atleast tried to portray anger:

1. Spiderman-2 - I liked Spiderman but the second part simply shook me to my bones in the scene where our good ol' Peter Parker raises as Spiderman in the restaurant after his love was taken away hostage right before his eyes. His spider powers were deserting him and in that instant of maddening ire, his powers are restored. It was one helluva of a scene. Credit to all who did it.

2. Mission Impossible III - I didn't see the film when it got released. After all the hype for MI-2 and its total inept story, I decided that this film was not worth seeing. I was wrong - I saw the film accidentally one night in a DVD and was instantly hooked. I liked the villain a lot. The aeroplane interrogation scene where he calmly asks Ethan details of his family was awesome. And for good measure he calmly states that he is going to get whomever loves him and that he will kill her before his very own eyes. There was menace, there was ire and there was no trace of mercy.

3. Pokkiri - one of my all-time favourite masala film. The scene where Mahesh Babu gets angry over the cop who continually harassed his GF was good. Good, mind you. Mahesh Babu acts as though he is always seems to be angry over something - another reason for being liked by me.

4. Badshah - No list of likeable film scenes is complete without mentioning the hand-pump wielding Thalaivar scene. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Period.

There you go. I believe this is a season of lists. More could come for I am utterly jobless, but I need to go home. And make merry with all my sweet relatives (there is no ire or irritation here). 

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Facts

Yes. This is a post of facts. Lets get the obvious things out of the way before I move along.

1. I am jobless. I am bored. There is nothing more obvious than this. And I said NOTHING.

2. I liked toy trains when I was a kid. I always wanted to have a room filled with a train-path and have a toy train going along it when I grew up (my life time goal was to earn enough to do that). The more obvious fact is that I have enough money now.

3. I love football. I like Man Utd but there is something in Barcelona's play that makes me hope that I get to see all their matches. That something is named as messi.

4. I love slapstick comedy. I need it to be extremely witty as well. I sometimes get real wonder as to how low brains you need to have to really laugh (not mocking laugh as we guys do in our room) at some of Sun TV's best comedy shows. I really hate when they try to teach me that it is really laughable.

5. I want to go visit different places in the world - sometimes I wonder if I would ever manage to go out of India in my lifetime (I am too lazy to make this nightmare true).

6. This is not the first time I mention this in my blog but this is a FACT - I like the following philosophy: "Time is an excellent master but unfortunately it kills all its pupils". I wonder who coined these words. They make sense out of everything we call as experience in this world. Afterall, its a trade-off, isn't it?

7. My all-time favorite commercial is the one for the first Bajaj Caliber model. The lines "Hain chal ne wale ragh mein.." still haunts me sometimes.

8. I still have a lot of facts to say but more than anything there is nothing good in prolonging what is all said and done. I am not a bloody irritating ad-director, you know

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