Thursday, November 22, 2007

Beware of Garbage Trucks!™

Very nice article.
From this link : " Beware of Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of ...

Beware of Garbage Trucks

By David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense
change your mood?

Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter,
curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day?
Unless you're the
Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels.
However,
the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their
focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I
learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened.


I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for
Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden,
a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver
slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just
inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who
almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad
words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was
friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car
and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when
my taxi driver told me what I now
call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

"Many people are like garbage trucks.
They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of
disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And
if you let them, they'll dump it on you.
When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it
personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
You'll be
happy you did."

So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage
Truck." I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me?
And
how
often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home,
on the streets?
It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it
anymore."

I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the
movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I
see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop
it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile,
wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all
time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up
as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit.
Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be
ready for their next meeting.

Good parents know that they have to
welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and
parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the
people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do
not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.

What about you? What would happen in your
life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning
with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who
don't.
Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance ,
TAKE IT! If it changes your life , LET IT!

Nobody said it would be easy… they just
promised it would be worth it!

____

I have sometimes wasted my mental CPU
cycles, trying to analyze my interaction with some people who were simply
unloading their garbage.

Of course, like other inspiring thoughts, it
needs to be applied judiciously. This is not a prescription to ignore feedback
from others when we don't like it. Or to be insensitive to another's plight.
Just to move on and spend energy on the next step forward.


Monday, November 19, 2007

[Original]: Review of Saawariya


It is now too late to save many people (including myself), but here's my review of Saawariya.

1. The title should have been SaBOREiya.

The movie is amazingly boring. At no point of time did I feel interested in what was going on.
The predominant thought that I during the movie had was regarding the money we wasted on tickets.



2. The main characters are a demented couple.
Neither of them has much logic to offer. Now love is beyond logic and all that, but still one is supposed to have some logic at all times.
Ranbir Kapoor has a "boxing your way out of grief" theory. Sonam Kapoor breaks into demented laughter from time to time. She has fallen in love with Salman – absolutely no reason given other than the fact that he stayed at her home. Instant coffee, and now Instant Love!! Show up at a girl’s doorstep during rain, grimace and stare at her, and win her heart!!

Both of the actors (Ranbir and Sonam) seem to be decent in acting. But the script and the dialogues that are given to them are so pathetic that they can't do anything. If both of these folks want to make a mark in the Indian Film Industry, I suggest they stay as far away from Sanjay Leela Bhansali as possible.



3. The side characters try to save the movie, but fail.
Zohra Sehgal (good as always) and even Rani Mukherjee have their good moments and provide some relief.
But since they are not the main characters of the film, they can't do much. What could anyone do about this turkey?

Salman Khan has a tiny role where he shows a grim face (perhaps because he guessed the fate of the movie during shooting itself), and says some weird dialogues like "Main mulk ka (secret) kaam karta hoon". Since the entire movie set is a fantasy land, I guess his country and work are also equally imaginary.


4. The sets, lighting and casting are weird/pathetic/psycho.
The whole set is pale blue. The women (a city of at least 60% prostitutes) wear various shades of blue. I think they got a group discount on blue clothing.

Almost all shots are at night in dim lighting. By the time the movie finishes, your mood has turned blue also.

The fantasy city is partly Venice, partly old city look and wholly weird.

The streets have designer potholes where Sonam and Ranbir can jump stylishly and then do "grief boxing".

There are approximately 7 males in the entire city, counting Ranbir and Salman (who is a visitor anyway).

Rain pours like a tap and shuts like a tap being closed, hence proving that it was filmy rain coming out of a tap anyway.



5. Sanjay Leela Bhansali thoroughly disappoints.
You find it hard to believe that this is the man who gave us a great movie like Black, and a very nice love story like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

I think throughout the shooting of the film, he was stoned/drugged. Which is the only reason that one can think of regarding the final output.
This would also explain the sets, lighting and casting.




P.S. The story of the movie is:
Ranbir meets Sonam and falls in love with her. But Sonam is waiting for Salman. Who will get the girl in the end?

Answer: Well before the movie ends, the public says "Either Salman or Ranbir can get Sonam, we don't mind - but please end this movie (and our suffering) quickly!!



More P.S.:
Somebody should have boxed Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ears (and other body parts) for making this movie. There is no way you can "grief box" your way out of this one.