A Quiet Place - Movie Rant

This post has spoilers from the movie, A quiet place as well as from the series Walking dead.

SPOILERS are gonna start now. You've been warned.

Image source: https://goo.gl/dnBN4o

John Krasinski and I go way back, unbeknownst to Krasinski. 😛 Our connection is from the series, The Office (US). Back when I was working at Indiagames, I was one of the game designers for the game based on this series. And when Amazon Prime got the series to India, I binge watched it all. Total nostalgia and some more. As it happened, the day I finished the series finale, I was thinking to myself that it had been quite some time that I saw a horror/thriller movie and this was the one that was running! I'm not sure how I got *that* thought after completing 'The Office' though! 😏

Anyhoo, long story short, my friend and I landed up at the threatre to watch it. We were hoping that the crowd is not the usual idiotic ones where people end up laughing to hide the fact that they were scared and some guy showing his bravado and teasing others for getting scared or some idiot who reveals the plot. I HATE THEM ALL!

My friend did say, the chances that we may encounter these idiots would be less, as this movie is not the traditional supernatural horror. And he was right!

By the way, this is a rant, *my* rant. And hence I'm going to point out the parts *I* didn't like. This isn't a review!  I liked the movie. It was quite good! All the actors did a great job, especially Emily Blunt! If you like the horror/thriller genre, I would totally recommended that you watch it. It is a beautifully executed movie. 

So finally, let's begin. 

1) Parenting skills: 

Someone tell  me, what parenting classes are these people attending? Is Lori from Walking dead giving lessons to them? 

You can't make any noise. You let a 4 -year old (or 3? can't recall the exact age) walk into the supermarket and be on his own. He's a kid FFS! Almost drops the rocket toy from the top of the shelf, but the older kid saves the day. Even after witnessing that, no alarm bells go off in their heads. Alright, fine, supplies are important and well situation was temporarily under control. 

But then, before exiting the shop, dad says no to rocket, telling (via sign language) that it makes too much noise. Removes the battery in front of the kid, and keeps the rocket and the battery right there. I actually thought that he would give the rocket to the kid, and put the batteries in his pocket or so. That would have been the logical thing to do. But well, there is no story then! 

Anyway, the big sis feels bad for her little brother and gives him the rocket anyway. And the parents don't know this, why? Because they have got out leaving their kid with the rocket right there at the desk. (The kid who really really wants the rocket as he thinks it is the escape route and also well, he is a KID). The kid decides to take the batteries too because it was lying right there!

Cut to them walking back to their house. The dad is carrying the middle child. Followed by mom, followed by big sis (who is deaf & mute) and followed by the 4 year old in the end. SERIOUSLY??? Who does that? Even in a safe world, you keep the kids in the middle! Let the adults act as the head and the tail of a line! This is basic!! CHRIST!!!!  You can see this lineup in the trailer.

And our kid can't wait to get to the house to play with the rocket. Decides to put the batteries and play right away. Big sis can't hear. Mom and dad turn around with utter shock in their faces. Dad runs towards kid, but he is too late. (Supposed to be a sad moment. I was more angry than sad.)

There were so many ways that particular accident could have been avoided! Yikes!  Also, I'm surprised the kid kept quiet for 89 days. 

Later in the movie too, she has no idea where the older kid is and she being heavily pregnant decides to loiter around the house and lose track of time!! 

In Walking dead, the parenting skills (esp of Lori) was a lot worse! 

2) The joy of pregnancy:

Ok, I know having a child is all about life and hope and stuff! But FFS, you are barely making it alive yourself. Then why are you bringing a baby which will not understand anything about keeping quiet into this world? Are you secretly trying to feed the monster? 

I would take a dig at walking dead also here, where people are getting pregnant even when zombies are right at their front door. 

Keep it in your pants, people! I know sex could be a stress buster, entertainment or anxiety relief etc. But there are ways "to have sex" without getting pregnant!!! Aaarrgh!

Also, did the newborn not cry at all until dad came along? Or the fireworks went on for thaaat long? 😕

3) Nailed it:

It's been more than a year! You know how careful you have to be. And yet when the clothes bag was stuck, mom decides to apply force and pull  it instead of stepping down and taking it without risking any noise! There was a good chance, that the force applied could have snapped the wooden plank and there would have been noise!  Again, the movie's plot wouldn't have been there without that nail, if you think about it.

4) Glass is life:

For someone trying to live by without making any noise, they sure have a lot of glass items around the place. 

• The lantern kept so frigging close. 
• All storage containers were glass (I understand glass makes for a better storage, but is it worth it?)
• That photo frame (which is the major plot point). Why not just take the damn photo? Why take the whole frigging frame??

Honorable Mentions:

1. Why wasn't the older kid allowed in the basement? My friend and I discussed some potential theories but none of them seemed justifiable enough to not let her go.  
2. Also, in all these days, I'm sure dad could have found time to tell her that it isn't her fault and that he loves her or so. Ain't that hard!!
3. That old man is an asshole. Period.

My Dark Twist:

1. What if she had figured out that the earpiece annoys the monsters and turns it off right at that instant to kill the dad because she doesn't like him anymore? 👼👿😁

That's a wrap. I should have written it when the movie was fresh in my head. I may have missed some points. But hey, I at least wrote it now! 😅


Also if you want to read up on what makes it a good movie, then read my friend's post. I totally agree with a vast majority of what he has written there. That's why I would totally recommend this movie.

A Mother's Day Special

Dear Son,

I've been often asked when I plan to become a mother. Sometimes I feel like telling them that I'm already one. But they wouldn't understand. Every mother's day I see a whole lot of wishes exchanged between mothers, which usually doesn't include me. But it doesn't matter. You are 7 now and since the time you have learned to speak, you always have wished me with utmost sincerity. I also have to thank our family, especially my mother (your grandmother) and your biological mother (my sister) for making it happen. And that's what matter's the most.

I didn't become a mother when you were born. It was before that, when you were in your mom's womb. I've guarded you with everything I had. I have fought with autorickshaw drivers if they drive fast on bumpy roads, I've fought with people on the street who don't watch where they are going and come remotely close to your mother. It was my sole duty to protect my sister, not just because she was my sister, but now she was also carrying something so precious to me.

I've fed your mom, taken care of her likes and dislikes, handled her mood swings and what not. ;)
I was her constant companion whenever she had to visit the doctor; I've been to every one of your sonograms barring one. And you refused to show your face in that one! Guess, we had already formed a connection back then itself.

I also used to stick to the wall against the bed, like a lizard at nights as I constantly worried that I might squish you while sleeping; and eventually gave the entire bed to you and your mom while I slept on the floor padded with some sofa cushions. I've read you manga, I've taught you how to play video games while you were still in the womb! No wonder, you rocked the Nintendo DS in 7 months!

You and I in this beautiful world

The day you were born, I was waiting outside walking restlessly worried sick for you and your mom. I could hear her screams and thought I might faint. And then there was silence and they brought you to us. I saw you, and I couldn't see anything else; the most beautiful thing ever! Your eyes were wide open, it felt like we spoke to each other. I wanted to hold you, but I was scared. Then finally my mom made me sit on the bed and put you in my lap. I was thrilled! You slept on my lap and I didn't move a muscle. I didn't care if my feet hurt or my back hurt; all that mattered was you shouldn't get disturbed. You were wrapped up in a cloth 'cocoon style', and you felt so comfortable. You communicated so well with your eyes. I think we have have shared stories like that, because we used to just stare at each other!

One night at the hospital, you were crying so loud. Your mom was fast asleep and under the influence of medicines. My mom had just gone home to freshen up and get some clothes and food. I didn't know what to do. I had to somehow stop your tears. I asked the nurse to come and feed you or do something. She ignored me as she had other "important" stuff to attend to. I asked some three four times and she didn't turn up. You ARE the only thing that was important to me! I finally lost my temper and screamed at her. That's when she came and fed you.

When my mom came back, I complained to her about how the horrible nurse treated you. My mom said it is not a big deal and smiled at me. She is experienced after all. But it was a big deal for me. I'm not waiting for a nurse to help you out when I'm there! I asked my mom to teach me how to carry you, to feed you, to clean up etc., when your mom or my mom wasn't around. I learnt everything. It was my mission to understand your needs even when you couldn't communicate it in the language I understood.

Everyday I rushed home after work to spend as much quality time as I can with you. All my weekends were devoted to you. Time spent with you was never enough. You loved to sleep on me. I'm not nicknamed 'the water bed' for nothing! ;)

When someone asks me who you are, I whisper 'my son' to myself and say 'my nephew' out loud. Because they won't understand. And when some stranger on the street mistakes us for a mom & son duo, I don't correct them, because we are! As you grew up and occasionally mistook me for your mom and called me 'Mama' were some of my most cherished memories! Every time we have to part, it breaks my heart.

You know, there are many mothers like me, who are every bit a mother but they are never acknowledged as that. Society dictates that giving birth is the most important aspect to becoming a mother. Society couldn't be more wrong.

On this day, I usually wish the beautiful women in my life. But today, I'm going to thank you for making me the mother that I am.

You're "MY PRECIOUS"! [Gollum style from Lord of the Rings. Yes, I will be sending you the books in a few years!]

Love,
Your Chithi (aka Aunt, aka the other Mom)

Women Empowerment

Yes, it's the Deepika Padukone video I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it yet; here it is:



If the motive of this short film was to tell the age old patriarchs and matriarchs of the society that the times have changed, we have equal rights, etc etc, then I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you have not really succeeded in conveying that, because THEY WON'T UNDERSTAND THIS!


Everything we do in life is a choice we make. Morality is a choice, loyalty is a choice, sexuality is a choice, career is a choice, to be or not to be is a choice! And all choices have consequences. Every line spoken in this video has been analyzed in depth by many, sometimes to extents that may not be even the intent. So I'm not going to do that. Instead, dear creator and participants of the video, I have just a few things to say:

1. What one should remember is, if she has a choice, so does he, so does anyone, no gender barred.
2. What anyone's choice shouldn't do is cause another physical harm.
3. What anyone's choice should try not to do is cause another mental or emotional harm. Context  matters. 
4. What one should focus on is justice and not just randomly cry for equality. What works for one need not work for another. Very aptly conveyed by this image:

Image Source: http://goo.gl/Wcz9o

I'm not against a film like this, but let's get the right message across, the right way. This will only make them see us as 'Feminazis'.

Besides that, Deepika just looks absolutely gorgeous!

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A while back, Vogue came up with another video:

The first time I saw this video, I was quite happy; till the ending happened, I was totally hoping that we were trying to tell the following two points via the short film:

1. Any one can cry, if they want, irrespective of their gender.
2. Crying is not a sign of weakness; it is just another form of expression.

I really thought it was gonna end with someone telling the little boys, and men that it's okay to cry and hug them. Instead, we went into some crazy logic. Let's definitely talk about domestic violence, but not this way. Let's try and identify the root cause of the problems and not plaster Women Empowerment for the sake of it. 

Let's start focusing on real problems here. Let's make the world a place of equality with justice and not cry wolf. 

Not gonna talk about the Alia Bhatt Vogue Empowerment video.

True Blue Cricket

Now that India is out of the World Cup, things can return to normal eh? Nope! Now we will continue to trash our team for not making it to the Finals. Who cares how they performed before. It is always about the last match we didn't win!

Let me get this out. I'm not an ardent cricket fan at all. Athough I have been the designer for definitely more than one Cricket game in my career so far! I don't stop work or other engagement and get glued to the TV. But living in India, the spirit of cricket is hard to pass. You become part of it, whether you want it or not. I don't even know the names of all the cricketers, but honestly it's gorgeous to see the men in blue on the play field.

Image Source: http://goo.gl/OFwtxo

Albeit, not being a crazy fan, I've had my own stupid superstition moments when it comes to India playing. We all know what I'm talking about. If I move from this seated position, India will win / lose. If I watch the match, India will win / lose etc. We are all guilty of it and I'm not here to question that. But even that should be taken lightheartedly. I find the experience fun (ny). And it bloody well should be!

So Virat Kohli was dismissed for 1, when we had a big total of 329 to chase. That unfortunate hit that cost us his wicket, made everyone sad and skip a heart beat. Do you even imagine what Virat Kohli and his loved ones must be feeling? Hell, we don't even let poor Anushka emote properly by zooming in the damn camera on her. You can argue that being celebrities, they signed up for this, the lack of privacy in turn for all the fame and luxury. Fine. A good argument maybe. But what's up with bashing Virat and terming Anushka as the "panauti" (someone who brings bad luck)!

Grow up, you damn idiots! So, what if that shot by Virat ended in a 4 or a 6? Then Virat is awesome and Anushka is?

I'm not saying that I'm some saint who didn't laugh at some of the jokes that were made. Let's face it, some were genuinely funny! And it's nice to have the ability to laugh at ourselves. But I do question the intentions behind some of the jokes. And few others were just in bad taste.

To all the nut jobs, who take the blame game too far: I wrote about our own superstitions while India is playing a few paragraphs above. Have you ever wondered that you may be the reason Virat Kohli was dismissed or the reason behind India's loss? Maybe you are the "Panauti"?
"That's absurd!", you may say. How can "you" watching / not watching that match contribute to the actual game? Exactly, you dumasses!

Would just like to quickly mention how we all termed Deepika Padukone as "Panauti" for Kingfisher's fall and for other things. Yep, it was all her, the cause behind the fall of Kingfisher Airlines! *This sentence is brought to you by 'Sarcasm'. In case your lovely brains don't get it the first time!*

I'm not gonna write an open letter to Anushka, because I'm pretty sure she is a head strong girl, who will let this also pass. If she is even midly troubled, I wish her the strength to get past it. The same to Virat Kohli and to all the cricketers & their loved ones.

Leaving the whole blame game on
the girl friend aside, we also go into trashing the team's performance. Yes, maybe they could have done better; maybe they did give it their best. I don't know. All I know is, it's okay to analyze about something you are passionate about. But remember one thing, you are not the one standing on the field, playing the game. If you take your analyzing skills to a whole another level, then please get started on your training, join the team and prove it!
It's so much easier to talk about what went wrong after it's over. When you are put there, things are a lot different.

And if you want to break your TVs over this, well... up to you really! I paid good hard-earned money for mine. So stay away from it! And to this young man, I have no words to say. Pun not intended.

My dear Indian Cricket Team,  I'm not one of your typical die hard fan. But when you do something awesome, I totally scream with happiness and when you fail to do so, I am a tad bit sad, clap for your effort, look forward to the next epic win and move on. #BleedBlue

My dear Men in Blue, you did great this time. Go home, relax, spend time with your loved ones and party! Before you know, there's another match waiting for you.

My dear Indians who refuse to grow up, please do or keep your mouth shut and your hands away from contributing to more garbage. #SwacchBharat

Happy Onam!

Onam is one of the most important festival of Keralites. Onam celebrates King Mahabali's visit. He is lovingly called as Maveli. There is a story behind this festival. The story in my words:

Once upon a time, there was a King called Mahabali. During his reign, everything was perfect. People were treated equally. Deceit, lies, thefts, murders, corruption etc were unheard of! Everyone adored him. A generous, just and loving King. There was no poverty and everyone was content. He was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. The only problem was he was born into an Asura family (the Prahlada lineage). This was not a problem with his subjects.

Image source: http://goo.gl/fqaktC

It was a problem for the super jealous Devas. They were scared that their so called supremacy was going to be challenged by him. How can the stupid subjects prefer a King who does everything for them over the Devas who devote their precious time watching the Apsaras dance for them!? And our God Vishnu decides to take the Devas side for He-knows-what reason. He disguises himself as a poor Brahmin and goes to the generous King Mahabali and asks for pieces of land that he could cover with three steps. Mahabali obviously said he could have as much land as he wants.

As soon as Mahabali promised, Vishnu (disguised as the brahmin -Vamana) grew into some giant-ass size and with one step covered the whole earth, the skies with the other and asked the King as to where he should keep the third step. Mahabali offers his head to keep up the promise. Our God places the third step on his head and pushes him into the Patala(the underworld, the netherworld.)

Onam is the boon that Vishnu gave Mahabali as part of fulfilling the promise; 10 days to visit his subjects every year! Excellent work. Deprived us of a good King! I mean, that's brilliant! Wow!

So well... At least the King gets to come and meet his beloved subjects (who, thanks to him being in Patala have become murderers, rapists, criminals, corrupt & what not).  After seeing his subjects' current state, I don't think he comes anymore. But I would love to believe he does and in this 10 days, decides to take some of the above mentioned subjects back with him to Patala and make sure they get "treated well".

I, on my part, try to please him, to do the needful with some mere food offerings (that ideally we end up eating).

Avial, Pal payasam, Malabar Kootu curry,
Sambhar, Matta Rice

This year we did not put any pookalam (Flower decorations). Here's one from 2010. We had access to two flower types of the same species and managed this, thanks to some leaves :) :

Pookalam @ 2010

You can read the full story (not my version) here: King Mahabali & Onam. The only thing that is probably wrong is that Asuras are not Demons; much like how the Devas are not Gods.

Side Note: There are versions of the story which says that Mahabali went to Patala as that was the only realm left for him, thanks to Vamana (aka Vishnu). There are some versions which says that Mahabali was over ambitious and snatched Heaven from the Devas and which is why Vishnu helped them regain Heaven from Mahabali. I don't even want to comment on that. Just putting it here!

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There is a beautiful folk song that describes the story in Malayalam. I'm embedding two renditions here. The first follows the original tune. The second is a newer take on the song and I like it too.

The song is long and people shift / skip the verses in various renditions. The overall translation is as follows:

When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people were equal.
And people were joyful and merry;
They were all free from harm.
There was neither anxiety nor sickness,
Deaths of children were unheard of,
There were no lies,
There was neither theft nor deceit,
And no one was false in speech either.
Measures and weights were right;
No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.
When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people formed one casteless races

Source: Wiki

Dreams & Premonitions - Part 1

I've always been interested about this topic. I have had my share of premonitions. By premonitions, I mean a look into the future event which is not necessarily evil. In fact, some of my premonitions were happy ones!

Image Source: http://goo.gl/7zigub

Some of my dreams usually tell a huge story; most people wonder how I could watch an entire movie as a dream ;)

When I have a nightmare, 90% of the time, I enter a pause state. From this state I can always choose to continue or get out of the nightmare. It's weird really; but it happens to me.

In almost all my dreams, I see myself in third person as well as in first person. That is I'm a character in the dream as well as the audience. And both of them have a link, where the "audience" me who is watching the dream could somehow help the "character" me.

I always wanted to do a detailed study of dreams and premonitions, but never got around doing it. I finally decided to do it. On the side, I have decided to document some of my dreams.

The very first memory of a dream was when I was 2 or 3 years old. A close-up face of an old man, who told me that he came to see me and will be always there with me. The next morning I went to mom to tell her. But she was busy. Then I went and pestered my sister. She laughed at me and then to get rid of me decided to showed me some family photos. I pointed at the old man. My sister told me I'm trying to fool her and revealed that it was our grandpa (dad's dad). I swore to her that I had no idea! She didn't believe me (not back then). Our grandpa had passed away much before my birth. While I'm sure that my parents would have shown me the photo when I was younger or so; but I'm most certain I was unaware. At least my conscious mind was.

At that age itself I started wondering about the significance. That dream is something that's absolutely clear in my mind. I can still see that entire dream with open eyes.

I once had a dream about my boyfriend. He was a gem of a person, but my past had made me vary about commitments and relationships. I started doubting if I even loved him! One night, in my dream, I was at his wedding. We were at the stairs. He held my hand, looked at me lovingly, and without saying anything, he turned away and left. The wedding rituals began. I stood at the stairs, speechless, watching him go far from me and wept uncontrollably. My heart felt heavy and I could barely breath. I woke up and I continued to weep. I could feel the pain. In reality I did attend his wedding and instead of standing at the stairs & weeping, I stood next to him in my bridal attire sporting a smile :)

The (sad) State of Journalism

Woke up one fine morning only to see that I was featured on Page 1 Bangalore Mirror (BM) Newspaper. Amidst confusing wishes from people, I also got "wow" messages for getting featured on BM; until I specified that the photo that appeared was without my consent. And then all the "wow" turned to "wtf"!

The news was related to the terrible experience I had with an auto driver and the swift action taken by Bangalore Traffic Police and the involvement of a concerned citizen who followed up the complaint to it's fulfillment. You can find more details about that in my previous post: Click here

Here's the only interaction I had with the BM reporter (Screenshot of what was posted as comment on the post I made on BTP followed by facebook message interaction)

Interaction with Bangalore Mirror reporter

Nowhere in this interaction have I mentioned about allowing the to use my photo nor have I been requested for the same. 

Given the nature of the article, there could be a possible retaliation from the auto driver; considering he knows the apartment I stay in. And instead of protecting my identity, they have gone ahead and printed my photo. 

Now the argument could be that I have already posted on my blog and raised a complaint to BTP on facebook. and both carried my profile pics or so. But please note that the "blog" here is my own and the facebook profile is mine too. I don't need to take any permission for that. Also online media is way different than print media. Print media is more accessible to people. Also, this news was on Page 1! with a picture of the auto driver and a picture of me right there inset. 

I wish the reporter was more sensitive about it. Or at least consulted me before using the picture and I would have denied it right there and then. They could have ran the article with just the quotes and the pictures posted by BTP (BTP did not post my pictures)

My parents were quite worried! I have started carrying a pepper spray and now being extra cautious. 

But Purnima Iyer (Seetharaman), who came to the city from Palakkad, Kerala, is a gutsy woman. 

The above is a quote from the BM paper. This information was taken off my public profile on facebook. Palakkad is listed as my hometown. The photo too was probably taken from my facebook profile. 

Please note that my photo on facebook is privately shared. Non-facebook users don't have access and facebook users who are not my friends see only a small profile picture (as per how facebook shows) which is view-able only (cannot be clicked and enlarged). And this is what was used to print in the article. 

Which means, that a private photo was printed without taking due permission. However, I'm sure loopholes will be found around the use of my photo. Especially since online rules are just weird and not transparent to people like me.

I wrote a letter to the editor at bmfeedback@gmail.com. No response. I wanted to file a complaint to Press Council of India. As per rules, I was to write a letter to the editor and try to resolve matters if possible. If not, I can go ahead with the complaint but a letter to the editor was a must. Which I had already done. 

However, considering the amount of mails the Editor must be getting in a day,  I decided to call the BM office and requested to talk to someone regarding this. I was directed to the Editor. I spoke to him. He tried to convince me saying it was a positive article. I agreed and told even though it was a positive article, they should not have printed my photo without my permission. To which he said they are aware of my concern, will see about it. I against insisted it was not right and then he told me that whatever was printed was on public forum and they had every right to print it. I tried to reason with him saying that my photo was not on public forum and was not public property to use. To which he said it was on public forum and they could print it. He was keen on hanging up and when I asked if I could proceed with a formal complaint; he said I may do so.

As per what some journo friends have been telling me, what BM did was probably not illegal. It is a question of morals and ethics.

They printed my photo without clearing it with me. When I reached out to them, I at least expected an apology. But... Sigh...

Even the source of the picture was not mentioned...

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And then of course, thanks to BM's news, I now have hate comments. No one entertained it though. But it's just weird people try to make a racist issue out of everything (the comment on BTP page)

Screenshot of comments on BTP page

And this at Bangalore Mirror article's comments section:

This still seems a one sided story... it seems that she is clearly exaggerating and playing a naive victim. But I don't think that is the case here. Unfortunate the driver has no say in this :-(

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However I'm not generalizing all reporters. Because I did have an ethical reporter approach me on the same incident. A screenshot of the interaction of facebook follows:

Interaction with Deccan Chronicle Reporter

Hope there are more reporters like the DC reporter who wanted to talk to me before printing anything. Also, the reason I had agreed to talk to DC was because it was going to be a general issue as seen in the conversation.

Auto Driver or Gunda?

I just had a terrible experience with an auto driver. The vehicle number is KA 41 1504. The driver's name is Reddy

Image Source: http://coloringpages101.com/printable_page/368/Vehicle_Transport/Auto_Rikshaw

I took the auto from Fortis Hospital at Bannerghatta to Electronic city Phase 1. As usual no auto drivers were ready to come by meter. Finally a rate of 300 Rs was fixed with this guy.

Since I was unwell, I told him to take via the Silkboard road. Instead he took via some alleys, full of speed bumps and bad roads now and then. And finally when he dropped me at my destination, he demanded more since the drop location was about 3-4 kms inside from the main road.

I argued that I have been dropped here before for the same rate and to that he started screaming. Argument is not what mattered to me, but his language and tone. He was screaming unnecessarily on the top of his voice for no reason when I was not being disrespectful. I kept mentioning that there was no reason for him to raise his voice as I'm talking politely.

For that he went on to talk that he is a "Reddy" and flaunting what he could do etc.

I told him that he was wrong in the eyes of law that he did not switch on the meter and now he is arguing for more money.

I finally asked how much he was expecting as this was beginning to worsen my headache. He said extra 80 rs for 4 kms. I told him that it was not going to happen and gave him 330 rs as total instead. For which he said "what will happen with 30 rs".

By that time, I had heard enough of him and I said 30 rs is a big amount for me and that if he doesn't want it, I will keep it with me. To which, he almost threw the money at me and started screaming more. So much that all the security guards and people were beginning to gather.

Then just as soon as I was about to get down, he snatched the money from my hand. (Obviously he wasn't gonna let it go!) He was beaming with anger for no apparent reason.

The security guard helped me out of the auto and I told the auto driver again to be respectful and talk properly. I reminded him again that he is wrong to have NOT switched the meter on and that I could take him to a concerned official and his license maybe cancelled.

To which he said he doesn't care about all that and he knows how to manage that. I noted his number and walked away while he was still screaming behind me.

This was a really disturbing experience for me. This is not the first time I have argued. But this is the first time someone has spoken as rudely as this guy. I'm quite amazed that I still managed to keep calm. He did not deserve it though...

I rarely take auto rickshaws... Now I'm going to outright ban them from my life! I'm not sure if I have conveyed the rudeness of that driver enough here. Wish I had recorded the whole thing! As simple as just starting the voice recorder on my phone.... Sigh..


P.S: I've messaged the Bangalore Traffic Police about the same via their facebook group. It's high time the auto rickshaws started using the bloody "meter"!

Image Source: http://sansui.tradeindia.com/digital-auto-rickshaw-meter-8111.html

ANDROID USERS:
Try this app. Once everyone starts using it, it will be very helpful!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Vehicle_saviour
About Saviour: http://www.nextbigwhat.com/reviews-of-autos-taxis-saviour-297/

P.P.S: Some information I got off the facebook group from a civilian facing the auto rickshaw woes:

(Thanks to Mr. Chandan (as seen in the comments section) for the same)

For Refusal SMS

AUTO REF AUTO NO. LOCATION TIME OF REFUSAL

EXAMPLE: AUTO REF KA01XY1234 MG ROAD TO KORAMANGALA 5:30PM

For Overcharging

AUTO OVR AUTO NO. LOCATION TIME OF OVERCHARGING

EXAMPLE: AUTO OVR KA01XY1234 MG ROAD TO KORAMANGALA 5:30PM

SEND TO 52225 For Airtel Subscribers.

and SEND TO 9663952225 for Non-Airtel Subscribers.

The SMS hasn't worked for me though...

To register complaints against autorickshaw drivers demanding more money than normal meter fare, people can dial 080-25588444/555 and register the complaint.After the welcome message, register your complaint by a voice message. The duration is 60 seconds.

During the call, provide details like the auto’s registration number; the place (of the incident), date and time; and type of offence (whether refusal or demanding more fare).

UPDATE: July 17th 2013:
Bangalore Traffic Police has taken action. Auto driver was fined 1100 Rs, asked for a written letter of apology and given serious counselling. Click this link to see the effort by BTP :)

Update: July 20th 2013: Click here

The Elusive One - IndiBloggeshwaris

Let me start this with a confession. I've been part of IndiBlogeshwaris' facebook group for quite some time. Until recently I was more of a silent spectator. I don't really know why it took me this long to interact because this is a frigging awesome group to be part of!

This June 2nd, IndiBlogeshwaris turned a year old! Happy Budaaay!! and kudos to the entire team behind it!

Note: IndiBlogeshwaris, as the name suggests is for women bloggers only! So think twice before you send a request to join ^^

Coming back to topic, since I'm already two days late to write this, let me keep this short! :D

Title: The Elusive One
Theme: Do something that you have been putting off for a long time and write about it.

I have always wanted to take up a creativity course and was quite successful in not doing it ever! The reason to take up the course was many. To improve my creative skills which according to me was dwindling away and which is a mandate for my job. To assure that I haven't completely lost it. To try something different. To see life creatively.

Towards end of April, my colleague sent me a link to a 6 week long creativity course. I signed up of course. Signing up doesn't take much effort ;) Around the same time, my friend and I decided to take some work that excited us both. And then there was my day job too. I was almost sure that the course was a goner because it required me to submit an assignment every week! Interestingly enough, this was the time I was (according to me) more active on the IndiBlogeshwaris group. I saw the post on Elusive One and it encouraged me more. I still can't believe I managed everything and have successfully completed the course without having to compromise on other aspects. It is great to have supportive friends and family!

While that pretty much sums up my Elusive One post, I wanted to add one more thing here. This here is part of the last assignment of the Creativity course.

Writing a resume is something we all have done; to showcase our achievements... Ever wondered what your failure resume might look like? Not just in terms of your professional life; also your academic and personal life...
Here's mine:

Use this link or click on the image to have a better view.

Oh and I also manged to break the curse of not updating this blog. The last post was 1.5 years back!

Two birds with one stone! :D 

Image Source: http://goo.gl/LPKXrX

My review of Tight pub @Vashi

http://know.burrp.com/arts-entertainment/get-tight-tight-vashi/33583

We enjoyed thoroughly!!

When Love Finds You...

It will be a three month long wait for me to see and hold my love in my arms. These three months are going to be harder than I thought. Many a people said that love starts to dwindle away after tying the knot. Two years into marital bliss and every time I see him, I fall in love all over again.

Image Source: http://tumismoreflejo.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/hablemos-de-amor/

It all started with a simple crush and now we are together in this beautiful journey. I never even realized when I fell in love with him. When true love finds you, you will know it! You feel happy, sad, excited, nervous, all at the same time. That's the closest I can explain how it feels.

I used to expect something different in the form of love. I had my own set of bullet points. However, life taught me a great lesson: 'What you are asking for is not the same thing as what you want.'  

I thought I wanted someone who could dance. But life gave me what I truly wanted.
When I'm on the dance floor swaying away to the beats, I can always feel his love; the lovable admiring glances amidst his conversation with friends slowly sipping into his drink. And when he goes that extra mile to try and sway with me for some special occasions; those awfully sweet attempts are the best dances of my life.

I thought I wanted someone who could sing. But life gave me what I truly wanted.
Every time I sing for him, he listens to me with utmost attention, as if I was the best singer in the world. Lying on my lap, requesting another song while I run my fingers through his hair. And those little attempts he makes to sing a few lines for me...

The unexpected things he does for me, are truly unexpected! A surprise is a surprise when you hardly expect it. And with him, I can never guess when it will happen. Something is more special when it's rare, at least for me :)

Image Source: http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/advice/change-your-life-positively
Photo: Valentin Casarsa/iStock

When this beautiful love found me, I had my doubts, but I embraced it. And I'm so glad today that I did!
Whenever I hold his hands, he wraps his around mine and makes me feel loved, protected, wanted. The very hands that touch my cheeks, the very hands that wipes my tears. the very hands that tickle me, the very hands that pat my back, the very hands of the man I love.

I can't thank God enough for giving me a man so imperfectly perfect for me, someone so differently similar, someone I really wanted! Come back soon, my sweetheart. I can't wait to fall in love again...

And now a beautiful song that I dedicate to the one who means everything to me, my lover, my best friend, my confidante, my life - my husband.
...and to everyone in love or waiting to be in love: 'When love finds you', by Vince Gill

Thanks to the person who listed my post for it. :) Click the image above to see the entire list.

Blog Title Change

When I created this blog, the url and title (Confessions of a confused freak) seemed appropriate. But now as I have grown (matured :P), I want to change it. Also my husband, Arjun insists I'm neither confused nor a freak ;)

Unfortunately changing the blog link is not as easy as it seems to be. All previous links will become dead links, the page rank will be reset and what not...

So I opted for the easiest solution; let the url be as it is and change the title header ;)

Starting today it's called La Dolce Vita.. the sweet life! :)

The Dove Sponsored Indiblogger Meet

So, it's been 5 months since I last updated my blog. By now I've made up enough excuses of the lack of time, but am not going to list them here ;) So moving on, let me start talking about the meet!

A women's only meet! This was the first ever Indiblogger meet I attended. I don't have to tell you why this drew my attention. It was all about getting pampered and it was free! \:D/

The venue was Four Seasons hotel in Worli. That's crazy miles away from my cozy home for a lazy person like me. Nevertheless, I decided to embark this journey. Also I was the one who asked my friend Hazel to sign up for the event and she may have killed me if I didn't turn up; just a possibility :P

Luckily I had 4 amazing ladies for company: the twitter queen Vibha, the young & vivacious Deeppzz, a hospitality professor (yep!) Laxmi and a fellow entrepreneur Preeti.

Together all 5 of us headed to the venue and reached there at 11:00 am sharp. Right on time! We registered ourselves and in a span of 30 minutes were called to get our foot massages done. It was lovely. That was the first foot massage I ever got done in my life. Those who know me won't be surprised! :D

By the time our massages were done, we had more and more ladies come in and soon enough the introductions started. We had a great variety and I've decided to dedicate this post to all the ladies I interacted with. (I hope I don't forget any one here)

Now for those who are here to read about the details of the meet, I'm going to refer you to Aasheianaa's blog, a fashion blogger and a charmer. She has covered it well for all of us :)

Adding to the list of the amazing ladies I present to you,
IdeaSmith, the one who can easily captivate an audience.
Nisha, an amazing woman and a global traveler.
Priyanka, the pretty girl next door.
Neha, an incredible liar, I mean lawyer ;), the one with the best opening statement at the introduction round.
Aparna & Shirin , the lovely sister duo.
Tara, the one in the search for 'Khushi' :)
Anuradha, the one who can maintain 18+ blogs! Woah!
Amreen, the football fanatic!
Vasudha & her lovely kid, Harini who could come with the most amazing slogan for her team!
Nikolai, the tiny, amazing traveler.
Anu, the very creative and talented art and crafts blogger.
Charu, the one who had the most cheerful face. I did not interact with her, but she has a face that one can't forget :)

This is just the list I can recall. I'm sure I've missed some names and will make sure I get them in the next meet! :D

And how could one forget this little blogger! :)

Universal Chennai Indiblogger

I really have to thank Dove and Inidblogger for this great meet. Looking forward to more such meets!
And thanks to Dharmi who gave me a relaxing hairwash.

Us!

The t-shirt

The Dove Hamper

My product review shall follow after I experiment with it :)
Now, I better get back to work, before my friend and partner, Deepti finds out what I'm actually doing instead of working ;)

Never say No?

Never say "No" Isn't that something we've heard too often? But I think it comes with a small asterisk (*) that says rarely say "Yes"...

I'm one of those who failed to see the asterisk mark! I seldom said "No" in my life... This may come across as a very positive point, but it is actually the exact opposite!

Why did I never say "No"; - fear of hurting people, fear of not getting something right if someone else does it, fear of not being acknowledged, to please the other person, to help the other person, to clear disputes, to get it over with, blah blah... the reasons are so many, but it all comes to the fact that I never mastered the art of saying "No"..

Yes it is an art! A very important one... If you don't learn to say No, you will be taken for granted and expected to do whatever it is that you did, and more; sadly with negligible appreciation.

I remember my friend Jayashree telling me about this movie called "27 dresses". She said she saw me in the lead character's role instead of the actress. She asked me to watch the movie, so that I can understand what I do from a third person's perspective just to make sure I can learn to say "no"...

It never really occurred to me that it was such a big deal before... and when I did realize it, it dawned upon me that I've lost a great deal of myself while doing things for others. But its hard to give up the habit overnight... It been a year or more I've ventured into the path of saying "No" and I still have a long way to go...

For those similar to me, start it already.. better late than never :)
It's not about what you can do, it's about what you want to do!

P.S: I had a similar post in my older abandoned blog... Just felt like writing a better version here.

Onwards to Korea - Part 2 (Concluding Part)

For Part 1, click here. 


"Refreshed" after the boiled corn and French fries, I began my hunt for the Free Internet Service Station. And why didn't I use my laptop instead?
Well, as luck wold have it, the day I left for Korea, was some mega power block in Navi Mumbai area. No power frm 8-6! Wow!! So ya laptop was dead...

Moving on, I finally did find a place. It read I could use it for 15 min, but hey till someone stands behind me and asks me to get up, I ain't going anywhere. Finally spoke to family and friends. Ah Internet is such a life saver I tell you. After chatting for some time, I could see some desperate souls like me waiting for their turn and I offered them my seat. (I'm nice at times :D)

There was still about 4 hours to go... Nintendo DS to the rescue! Played for quite sometime and suddenly heard a rumble. It was my stomach. How long can boiled corn and fries sustain; also I've a good appetite. :P
I was wondering what to eat! Of course... the safest food I could have without fear was Chocolates! Went around and bought a big pack of Toblerone Minis. Yay!

Munching on the chocolates, one after the other, I happily headed to the gate and opened my book to read. Books are like time machines (Amitabh Bacchan says that in the Reid & Taylor ad).... Need I say more?

It was time to board!

Cathay Pacific Airlines. First impressions? It was just like any other airlines... I only worried about food. I had requested for Indian Veg Meal, but then I didn't expect much esp after the food I had in Jet. Also it was China! But..life is full of surprises...Cathay pacific served the best Indian veg meal I had! Pulav, naan, & paneer mutter! Yummy!!!

After that content meal, soothing music is what I wanted. Turned on the flight's channels and to my surprise they had Bollywood music too... I loved Cathay Pacific already :D
The hours flew by in my sleep and the captain announced that it was near time to land.
That was the time, the harsh reality struck me. I wasn't going home! All this while it just felt like those days with a hectic travel schedule.. but the ending was always home...

But, it wasn't this time!

Landed. It was an unknown place, unknown people, unknown territory. I wasn't scared but I wanted to run back home. The thought that I wasn't returning home was tormenting me... Went through the exit, lost in thoughts.

My ex-boss was  waiting for me. I couldn't recognize him, but he could (ain't hard to spot an Indian here.) He called out my name, took over my luggage trolley, talked about old times and tried to make me feel comfortable. He gave his phone so that I could inform everyone back home about my safe journey. I couldn't speak much.. Various emotions were gushing. Held on to them and went on...

After 1.5 hrs of drive, we finally reached the apartment arranged for me. My boss, his family and my friend Praveen were there to welcome me. A sweet little place and the people were so warm and friendly.  After light introductions and greetings, everyone left. My friend however stayed back for sometime, we chit-chatted about old days and then he left too.

It was past midnight and I still couldn't get any sleep. "It sucks to be away from home"... I remember murmuring that for a long time only to wake up to the sun. It was months since anyone saw the sun in Korea. Maybe, he just followed me all the way here, to make sure I'm fine :)


This concludes the "Onwards to Korea"post. Will list my living experience here as it goes... :)

Onwards to Korea - Part 1

One fine morning, my ex-boss called me and offered me a job in Korea. I wasn't too sure how it was going to work out. Firstly it was going to be non-gaming. But then, I thought about it. I was considering taking a break from gaming to revive those creative brain cells. They were on the verge of death, me thinks ;)

My friend Praveen was already working for the same firm in Korea. I discussed with (read troubled) him and came to the conclusion to give it a try . And luckily for me, they offered a relevant role to my husband Arjun too! Yay!!  I was so happy about the fact that I won't have to stay alone! More than the staying, it was the travelling that scared me for some reason. I've never been scared to travel alone; maybe it was the unknown place, unknown language. When communication becomes a problem, it kind of scares me.

As luck would have it, the company wanted me to join early, and Arjun couldn't leave that early. So I had to start off alone...the very thing I was scared of... Sigh.

On the d-day, my entire family and a friend tagged along to drop me off at the Mumbai International Airport. The only time I have ever been away from my family was the 7 months I had spent in Bangalore. But this time it was different. It wasn't within India anymore. So sending me off did call for a good amount of tears. We are an emotional family as it is :)

My flight was Jet Airways which was taking me to HongKong and a change of flight from there. The lady at the counter informed me that they have no more tie-ups with the connecting flights and that I will have to collect my check-in luggage at HongKong and check it back in with my connecting airlines. I had checked with Jet Airways before my journey itself. So it didn't come as a surprise. In any case, she told me that she had tagged my check-in luggage destination to Seoul. (Umm..Alright :S)

My folks waited at the visitor's lounge till I proceeded to immigration. I'm not a big fan of being away from my comfort zone. With international roaming activated on my phone and slightly relieved to have cross checked with the airlines on my meal preference (Indian Veg Meal), I proceeded. It didn't feel any different than boarding a domestic flight. 

I was way early and had to kill about 3 hours! And I was hungry. So I went and grabbed a veg sandwich; which wasn't up to my liking. After throwing away the rest of it into the bin, I waited at the designated gate and read my book.  Reading a book is a great thing to do to kill time. It was time to board already. 

I was glad to see some good movies and shows listed as part of the flight entertainment. Right when I was dozing off, they served meal. I wasn't particularly happy about the food. It was a very similar sandwich.. Sigh.  Thankfully fruits were there.  After that I resumed the movie I was watching, only to wake up to breakfast service! 

And the breakfast was equally terrible. Mini Idlis soaked in tasteless sambhar and some weird Uthappa. Again, fruits saved the day. And in another hour's time, I had reached Hongkong! It was raining there then.

I spotted a help desk and approached them and asked them regarding my connecting flight and baggage. Fortunately the airport staff speaks understandable English. I did have to repeat, but the message got through :)

I headed to the Cathay Pacific counter and they gave me my boarding pass and told me they will pick up my luggage. !!! I checked with him again as Jet Airways had told me otherwise. He assured me. Instead of feeling relieved, I was tensed about whether they will pick up my luggage or not. He said I could check it at the gate, 1 hr prior to flight's takeoff. My connecting flight wasn't for another 5 hours! I finished my security check and sat at some random gate as my flight wasn't even listed then. Hongkong airport is huge. And travelators everywhere. I wanted to check about my check-in baggage and on inquiry found that the Cathay Pacific desk was on the other end. I started proceeding that way. Saw a lot of free internet stations on the way. All were occupied. I reached the other end; checked with the staff; he too assured me that my luggage will be picked up. I headed back trying to find a free internet station. I almost reached the other end without any luck only to feel hungry. Then it dawned that I saw Mc.Donalds near the airline desk.. Sigh..

The other side also had restaurants, but I wasn't sure if I will get anything veg. So, after another long walk, I headed to Mc Ds and asked for something veg. I got it too: Fries, Boiled Corn and Coke.. So disappointed. It's hard for the vegetarians. 

I grumbled to myself, thought about the delicious food back home and ate the meager meal that lay in front of me...

...to be contd....

Long time no see...

Things have changed considerably in my life. That sure calls for another long time no see post, doesn't it?
And sure has been long! To summarize the whole thing, I quit my job, worked as a freelancer, now in Korea as a consultant.

Few months and way too many changes. May be this is what I needed? Who knows! I feel like I'm in that unknown world of freshly passed out graduates having no clue what to do... It is a great feeling actually. Helps me see myself and what I want to do in a whole new perspective, which btw is still unclear...;)


Guess it's time to explore... Wish me luck! :)

The Immortals of Meluha

That's the name of the book, the first in the Shiva Trilogy written by Amish Tripati, a finance professional, graduated from IIM Kolkatta!

With the current spree of IIM pass outs turning out to be book authors, I really wish I was in IIM! :P

Anyways... here's how I ended up in the world of Meluha!

So one fine day, on one of those occasional visits to the Landmark bookstore in Pune, I saw this particular book placed everywhere to grab the buyer's attention! I have ignored a lot of other books that used to belong there... But this one was different.

They say never judge a book by its cover... however this wasn't the case for me... The cover was what caught my attention!

Being a lover of mythology, I couldn't resist being drawn to this mighty and sensual depiction of Lord Shiva!

I ran to my husband who was busy finding some books in the Sci-Fi section and told him I've found something good! He smiled and said, "Just read a page and see if you like the way it is written, and then you will know for sure!"

Hell, why didn't I do that! So I opened the book and read the first page of the first chapter and by God I was in love with the book. I didn't wanna stop reading.

The language was simple and the flow was great! The content itself was bloody brilliant. Neatly broken into paragraphs, pleasing font and good page quality! I'm not going to delve into the plot outline or so as the author lets you read the first chapter here, and also because it has to be read the way he has written, else it will lose it's charm.

A nicely made trailer is also available here.

After Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is the only other book that I've read in just a span of few hours because I couldn't put it down till sleep took over me unknowingly and yet I was in Meluha. With Shiva, Sati and everyone else, I was there looking at my leader, my God, my Saviour!

I've always had a soft corner for mythology and fantasy alike and if one may see, deep down they are very similar... So I won't question the content and get into unnecessary arguments on whether it is right or wrong, because there will be no answers, just more arguments... If one can accept the existing mythology which revolves around magic and the supernatural and at times the unnatural, then accepting this theory seems to be more likely.

Amish has tried to bring forth a practical and more believable aspect of Lord Shiva into existence through his book. My imaginations ran wild as his writing helped me create my own land of Meluha, it's people, the Suryavanshis, the Chandravanshis, everyone existed in my world.

I always adore authors who can use simple language to convey the most magnificent things and he definitely is one of them! I highly recommend this book for believers and non-believers alike! You can know all about the book at http://www.shivatrilogy.com

It was because of this book that I've got back into my reading habits and my husband is pretty delighted about that :) He is currently reading the book. This book has inspired the reader and the writer inside me! I owe one to Amish.

When I finished reading the last line of this book, my heart ached, I knew I had to wait... wait for Amish to finish the second book... It was hard... I wanted to know... I was in the book, in Meluha... and I'm still there, waiting...

Keep up the good work, Amish! May (Lord) Shiva be by your side to help you complete the series with the same amount of brilliance or more as seen in this one...

Har Har Mahadev!!!