For Yahoo! messenger --> You won't find these in the emoticon menu, but you can send them by typing the keyboard shortcuts directly into your message.
Link: Hidden Emoticons - Yahoo! Messenger
Link: Hidden Emoticons - Yahoo! Messenger
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
I use Firefox as my default browser. It's great, and has a lot of cool features. But it loads up very sloooooooooowwwly!!
To avoid the pain, a couple of things to try:
To avoid the pain, a couple of things to try:
- Turn off automatic updates: FF checks for updates (to itself, to plugins and to search engines) very time you start it. This makes it very slow. So turning off automatic updates makes it very fast. To turn them off go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced --> Update check off all the Automatic Update checkboxes.
- Use FF Preloader --> https://sourceforge.net/projects/ffpreloader/.
This pre-loads parts of FF into memory (RAM) and hence speeds it up.
Note: There are folks who caution against doing this - it may cause FF to malfunction. I have not tried this myself.
- Tip about Automatic Updates: http://geekzguru.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/howto-speed-up-firefox-startup/
- FF Preloader tip: http://www.techiecorner.com/48/speed-up-firefox-start-up-time-with-firefox-preloader/
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Joke: Ten Jew Berry Mud
Old but gold joke…
The following telephone exchange between room-service and a guest at a hotel in
Hotel: Morny, ruin sorbees.
Guest: Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service.
Hotel:
Guest: Uh ... yes ... I'd like some bacon and eggs.
Hotel: Ow July den?
Guest: What??
Hotel: Ow July den ... pry, boy, pooch?
Guest: Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please.
Hotel: Ow July dee baychem ... crease?
Guest: Crisp will be fine.
Hotel: Hokay. An San tos?
Guest: What?
Hotel: San tos. July San tos?
Guest: I don't think so.
Hotel: No? Judo one toes?
Guest: I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo onetoes' means.
Hotel: Toes! Toes! ... Why djew Don Juan toes? Ow bow singlishmopping we bother?
Guest: English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine.
Hotel: We bother?
Guest: No, just put the bother on the side.
Hotel: Wad?
Guest: I mean butter ... just put it on the side.
Hotel: Copy?
Guest: Sorry?
Hotel: Copy ... tea ... mill?
Guest: Yes. Coffee please, and that's all.
Hotel: One Minnie. Ass strangle ache, creasebaychem, tossy singlish mopping we bother honey sigh, and copy... rye?
Guest: Whatever you say.
Hotel: Ten jew berry mud.
Guest: You're welcome.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Firefox add-on: ScribeFire Blog Editor
Blog to a variety of sites such as Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, Windows Live Spaces, etc. right from within the Firefox browser.
Really cool - I use this one regularly. Most of my posts are via this tool.
Note: They have a feature where you can make money via ads, but I have't used that. I only use the pure blogging part.
Link to Firefox add-on: ScribeFire Blog Editor :: Firefox Add-ons
List of supported services/sites: http://blog.scribefire.com/help/supported-services/
Really cool - I use this one regularly. Most of my posts are via this tool.
Note: They have a feature where you can make money via ads, but I have't used that. I only use the pure blogging part.
Link to Firefox add-on: ScribeFire Blog Editor :: Firefox Add-ons
List of supported services/sites: http://blog.scribefire.com/help/supported-services/
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
New browser - Google Chrome
Google has come out with a new browser, Google Chrome.
The browser is now ready for download. Try it out ...
Download link: Google Chrome
For some reason, this download link works only in IE for me, not in Firefox. Coincidence? ;-)
The browser is now ready for download. Try it out ...
Download link: Google Chrome
For some reason, this download link works only in IE for me, not in Firefox. Coincidence? ;-)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
How to find Uptime for a Windows machine
I have used Microsoft Windows for a long time now. But the other day when someone asked me how to find out the uptime for a Windows machine (how much time the machine has been running), I was stumped :-).
A little bit of Googling has revealed 2 ways to do this.
Links:
A little bit of Googling has revealed 2 ways to do this.
- Open a command prompt. (Start --> Run --> cmd).
Type "net statistics server" and press "Enter".
The line that start with "Statistics since …" provides the time that the server was up from. - Open a command prompt.
Type systeminfo | find "Up Time". You get the uptime.
Links:
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Quotable Quotes
1. Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.
-- Albert Richard Smith, author and entertainer (1816-1860)
2. Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends.
-- H. L. Mencken
3. People often find it easier to be a result of the past than a cause of the future.
-- Unknown
4. No one can guarantee the actions of another.
-- Spock, "Day of the Dove", stardate unknown
5. Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
-- Samuel Butler (1835-1902)
6. The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw, Nobel laureate(1856-1950)
7. Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.
-- Henry Emerson Fosdick
8. Conquest is easy. Control is not.
-- Kirk, "Mirror, Mirror", stardate unknown
9. They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
10. It's not the size of the dog in the fight,
it's the size of the fight in the dog.
-- Mark Twain
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Got this in a forwarded mail ...
There's an English proverb that
goes: "One father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters."
Fathers can teach their children many important lessons. Father's Day is Sunday, June 15, and it brings to mind
some of the valuable lessons I learned from my father, Jack Mackay. I've shared
many of them with you in my books and columns, but here they are, in one nice
package, for the 64.3 million fathers out there.
My dad headed the Associated Press in St. Paul, Minn., for many years. He lived by deadlines. When he told
his 10-year-old fishing partner, "Be at the dock at 7:30 a.m." and I arrived at
7:35, I would be holding my fishing pole in one hand and waving bon voyage with
the other. Time management 101.
When I began my career selling envelopes, I asked my father how I could make twice as much money as my fellow
sales reps.
He asked me how many sales calls my peers made every day. I told him that everyone made about five calls a day,
and I could match them call for call.
"No good," he said. "Do what they do and you'll make what they make. Figure out how you can get to 10 calls a
day and your income will double."
We worked out a game plan, which became a life plan. I learned when the buyers were in the office and worked
according to their schedules, which sometimes meant anytime from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
and Saturday mornings. I quit making cold calls, was among the first to get a
cell phone and learned many other time management tips from my
father.
TRUST is the most important five-letter word in business and in life. When I was only eight years old, he
said: "Son, would you like to learn a lesson that might save your life some day?"
"Sure I would, Dad," I answered.
"Just slide down the banister and I'll catch you," he urged.
I slid ... and landed on the carpet. As I dusted myself off, he announced, "Never trust anyone completely.
Keep your eyes open and your wits about you."
Similarly, my father encouraged me at a young age to keep track of all the people I met on Rolodex cards, now on
my computer. He was a master networker. He knew where to get stories, much like
I learned where to get sales.
Maybe the most important lesson my father taught me was that your best network will develop from what you do
best. In my case that was golf. When I joined the sales game after college,
where I had been a varsity golfer at the University of Minnesota, my father
suggested I join Oak Ridge Country Club, which I couldn't afford. Because Oak
Ridge was historically at the bottom of the city golf league, I offered to play
for them and try to win them a championship. Six months and numerous meetings
later, I was admitted to the club where I gained access to many of the major
companies around town.
My father also taught me that the big name on the door doesn't mean diddly. You have to know who the decision makers are.
In addition, he warned me
against telling anyone how I vote. That's why it's a secret ballet. The Democrats think I'm a Republican, and the Republicans believe I'm a Democrat.
My father's greatest
professional attribute was his nose for a good story and his indefatigable zeal
in getting it. He taught me the same desire, determination and persistence for
sales.
After a skiing accident that
landed me in the hospital for 35 days in neck traction, he told me, "You can take any amount of pain as long as you know it's going to end."
My father taught me many more life lessons, among them:
- They don't pay off on effort . . . they pay off on results.
- No one ever choked to death swallowing his
pride. - He who burns his bridges better be a damn good
swimmer. - Education is like exercise. As soon as you quit
you begin to lose the benefits. - It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're
dressed like a turkey. - If you win say little. If you lose say
less. - We are judged by what we finish, not by what we
start.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Got this as a forwarded mail. So true ....
London Times Obituary of the late Mr.
Common Sense - Sunday, 31st March 2008
Today we mourn the passing
of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No
one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in
bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable
lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense
lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn)
and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health
began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations
were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment
for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after
lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his
condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for
doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Bandaid to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments
became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better
treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't
defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you
for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman
failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was
preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his
daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4
half brothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and
I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he
was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on.
London Times Obituary of the late Mr.
Common Sense - Sunday, 31st March 2008
Today we mourn the passing
of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No
one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in
bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable
lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense
lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn)
and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health
began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations
were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment
for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after
lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his
condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for
doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Bandaid to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments
became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better
treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't
defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you
for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman
failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was
preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his
daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4
half brothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and
I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he
was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on.
Monday, May 26, 2008
How to download videos from YouTube (Firefox)
How to download videos from YouTube (Firefox)
Most of us watch videos at YouTube. If you want to download some of the ones you like, then here’s how.
Note: The downloading steps only work on Firefox. For other browsers, you will need to find out on your own.
Steps:
1. Install the VideoDownloader extension from
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2390
2. Go to YouTube and pick the page of the video you want to download, e.g.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-TwHwLc98
3. Click the VideoDownloader icon at the bottom right of the Firefox window (status bar). You should see something like this:
4. Click “Download”
5. The file name will be “get_video”. Rename it to
6. Play the .FLV file using an FLV player. 2 free ones (Windows) are:
v http://www.rivavx.com/index.php?id=422
v http://www.wimpyplayer.com/products/wimpy_standalone_flv_player.html (this one has a Mac version too)
Friday, May 16, 2008
NTLM Authentication and Firefox
If you are a Firefox user who is tired of entering the Windows password again and again for your intranet sites, then this is a must read.
I set both the keys required - I don't know if only 1 is sufficient. But it works!!
Link: Patrick Cauldwell's Blog - Firefox and Sharepoint
I set both the keys required - I don't know if only 1 is sufficient. But it works!!
Link: Patrick Cauldwell's Blog - Firefox and Sharepoint
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Got this great joke in my mailbox ...
A to Z of being Punjabi.
A is for Adjust. Punjabis will always ask you to adjust whenever they want to push you around.
B is for Backside, and it has nothing to do with your bum, it is an instruction to go to the rear of a building, or block, or shop or whatever.
C is for Cloney and its not a process for replicating sheep, nor is its first name George. It is merely an area where people live e.g. ... "Dfence Cloney".
D is for Dilliwallas that live in Dfence Cloney
E is for Expanditure. Punjabis are never shy of spending money ¡V the latest cars, gadgets, marble floors: their ambitions are always expanding.
F is for Fackade, and even though it sounds like a bad word it is actually just the front of a building (with backside being the back, of course).
G is for Gaddi, and the way a Punjabi can pilot his gaddi puts any F1 driver to shame. (If the Grand Prix does come to
H is for Ho Jayega Ji, and the moment you hear that you have to be careful because you can be reasonably sure it's not going to happen.
I is for Intezaar, and to know more about it see P.
J is for Jindagi, and if there's one person who knows how to live life to the fullest it's a Punjabi.
K is for Khanna, Khurana, etc, the Punjabi equivalent of the Joneses (e.g."Keeping up with the Khuranas")
L is for Lovely, but unfortunately she almost never is. Nor is Sweety. She is usually married with kids.
M is for Mrooti, the car that an entire generation of Punjabis were in love with.
N is for No Problem Ji. To find out how that works see H.
O is for Oye, which can be surprise (Oyye!), a greeting (Oyy!), anger (OYY!) or pain (Oy oy oy...).
P is for Panch Minit, and no matter how near (1 km) or far (100 km) a Punjabi is from you he always says he'll reach you in panch minit.
Q is for Queue, a word completely untranslateable into Punjabi.
R is for Riks, and a Punjabi is always prepared to take one, even if the odds are against him.
S is for Sweetie, Bunty, Pappu and Sonu, who seem to own half the cars in
T is for the official bird of
U is for when you lose your sex appeal and become "Uncle-ji"
V is for VIP phone numbers @ Rs 15 lakh and counting.
W is for Whan, as in "Whan are you coming, ji?"
X is for the many X-rated words that flow freely in all Punjabi conversations.
Y is for "You nonsense", when anger replaces vocabulary in a shouting match.
Z is for Zigzag. (Please refer to G, M and P)
This was sent to me by a Sardarji friend of mine.
Moral of the story:
Unlike most other communities who take instant offence, they can have a hearty laugh at themselves.
Cheers to that!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Reverse AJAX : Comet
Comet is basically Reverse Ajax --> for streaming data from the server using a server-side push mechanism.
Needs server side support as well. But a good idea nevertheless ...
Link:
Continuing Intermittent Incoherency » Comet: Low Latency Data for the Browser
Needs server side support as well. But a good idea nevertheless ...
Link:
Continuing Intermittent Incoherency » Comet: Low Latency Data for the Browser
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance on the Back of Five Business Cards
Very nice article. Simply written but very useful.
Link: Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance ...
Link: Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance ...
Monday, December 10, 2007
[Original]: Review of Manorama - Six Feet Under
Summary: Slow movie, but liked it.
Cast : Abhay Deol, Raima Sen, Gul Panag, Sarika, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Director: Navdeep Singh
Satyaveer or SV (Abhay Deol) is a government engineer leading a drab and dreary existence in a small town in Rajasthan. He has a nagging wife (Gul Panag) who is frustrated by his lack
of success. Abhay's real passion is writing detective fiction. He writes a novel called Manorama that flops badly.
A mysterious lady (Sarika) with the same name as the novel comes into his life. She asks him to spy on her husband, a local and powerful politician (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). From
then on his life gets caught into a maze of mysteries - big and small.
Sarika gets murdered. Then it turns out that Sarika is not the politician's wife. The politician has an illegitimate daughter who is demanding that he recognize her. She and her boyfriend (the politician's personal doctor) are brutally murdered. Abhay is threatened by a couple of goons working for Kulbhushan for some photographs.
A cop (Vinay Pathak) who is Abhay's brother-in-law, is his only source of help, and even he can't do much as the politician is powerful.
Raima Sen is the murdered daughter's room mate. She and Abhay are subject to many twists and turns as the story unfolds.
The obvious questions -
1. Who was Sarika? Why was she murdered?
2. What is the link between the murders of Sarika and that of the illegitimate daughter?
3. What is in the photos?
The suspense is good but not outstanding - all questions are reasonably guessable while watching the movie. But what I liked was the simplicity and realism of the movie. Right down to Abhay's unpolished shoes, there has been a conscious effort to make sure everything is as real as possible. The dry and arid desert was used as a very good metaphor for Abhay's dull
existence.
The film pays attention to the relationships between Abhay and different characters - Gul, Raima and Vinay. No songs. It is more like an art film than the usual fare.
Performances:
Vinay Pathak has some of the best lines, but still has too small a role to make a big impact. Raima Sen is good.
Gul Panag did the nagging act well.
Kulbhushan - as good as ever.
Sarika - competent (but again has a pretty small role).
Abhay Deol is the main character and he does justice to the role. I had not liked him in some of
his earlier performances, but now he has moved to the +ve side for me.
Negative points:
1. Slow pace.
2. Gaps in writing as far as scenes or continuity is concerned.
Overall, worth a watch.
Cast : Abhay Deol, Raima Sen, Gul Panag, Sarika, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Director: Navdeep Singh
Satyaveer or SV (Abhay Deol) is a government engineer leading a drab and dreary existence in a small town in Rajasthan. He has a nagging wife (Gul Panag) who is frustrated by his lack
of success. Abhay's real passion is writing detective fiction. He writes a novel called Manorama that flops badly.
A mysterious lady (Sarika) with the same name as the novel comes into his life. She asks him to spy on her husband, a local and powerful politician (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). From
then on his life gets caught into a maze of mysteries - big and small.
Sarika gets murdered. Then it turns out that Sarika is not the politician's wife. The politician has an illegitimate daughter who is demanding that he recognize her. She and her boyfriend (the politician's personal doctor) are brutally murdered. Abhay is threatened by a couple of goons working for Kulbhushan for some photographs.
A cop (Vinay Pathak) who is Abhay's brother-in-law, is his only source of help, and even he can't do much as the politician is powerful.
Raima Sen is the murdered daughter's room mate. She and Abhay are subject to many twists and turns as the story unfolds.
The obvious questions -
1. Who was Sarika? Why was she murdered?
2. What is the link between the murders of Sarika and that of the illegitimate daughter?
3. What is in the photos?
The suspense is good but not outstanding - all questions are reasonably guessable while watching the movie. But what I liked was the simplicity and realism of the movie. Right down to Abhay's unpolished shoes, there has been a conscious effort to make sure everything is as real as possible. The dry and arid desert was used as a very good metaphor for Abhay's dull
existence.
The film pays attention to the relationships between Abhay and different characters - Gul, Raima and Vinay. No songs. It is more like an art film than the usual fare.
Performances:
Vinay Pathak has some of the best lines, but still has too small a role to make a big impact. Raima Sen is good.
Gul Panag did the nagging act well.
Kulbhushan - as good as ever.
Sarika - competent (but again has a pretty small role).
Abhay Deol is the main character and he does justice to the role. I had not liked him in some of
his earlier performances, but now he has moved to the +ve side for me.
Negative points:
1. Slow pace.
2. Gaps in writing as far as scenes or continuity is concerned.
Overall, worth a watch.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Windows: Your computer may randomly play Classical Music
Microsoft does its very best to entertain you as well as improve your "class".
Classical music on your PC:
Microsoft Link: Computer Randomly Plays Classical Music
Classical music on your PC:
Microsoft Link: Computer Randomly Plays Classical Music
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
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.
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.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
