CouchQB

Spurling Banks

2011-11-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Spurling passed away on August 21, 2011. An accomplished musician and a gentle soul. I loved him like my older brother. After fighting with his ailment for a good year and a half, he gave up and decided to call it quits as diabetes took its toll on his body. Love ya man and may your soul always rest in peace.

Saturday Night Fever

2010-06-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

It was late 1978, a small group of 15 year old boys lined up outside a run down movie theater in a small sleepy town called Bhopal to watch the latest Hollywood sensation "Saturday Night Fever". No one has a clue as to what the movie is all about. The movie poster outside depicts John Travolta striking a pose wearing the famous white 3 piece suit and a seductive Karen Lynn Gorney. The raging hormones are anxious to see some "action" as otherwise life is pretty boring with not too much to do other than hit the books and cram for exams. They pay for the cheap seats ( Re 1.65) which converts to less than 4 US cents in today’s money and get inside eagerly.

For a bunch of small town boys the movie was nothing to rave about, they come out somewhat disappointed as most scenes were heavily censored, the American English was hard to understand and it was a "silly" movie about dancing."Kuch samajh mein nahin aaya yaar" ( didn’t understand a damn thing), we said as we biked home, one of us even thought of seeing it a second time just to understand what the movie was all about.

If we learnt and understood one thing, that caught on like wild fire, the flared "bell- bottomed" pants with a waistline that came up to the chest and polyester shirts with collars the size of a dog's ear, that was made popular by the actors in the movie. Everyone queued up in front of the local tailors to emulate "Travolta style". I myself went to the tailor with a piece of fabric and told the tailor- "make the bottom as flared as you can", well there was not enough fabric for a reasonable flare so the tailor generously added extra fabric from left over cloth from someone else's garment.

The year 1980 came around, SNF and John Travolta were long forgotten and I made my transition from Bhopal to Mumbai. It was a culture shock, like moving from "Greenbow", Alabama to New York City. Albeit, I survived the initial shock and was also shocked to learn that "flared pants" and "dog collar" shirts are out of fashion and "drain pipes" were in. I was a freshman in a 3 year program in Hospitality management. As fate would have it 'DK' was my batch mate and a fellow Hostelite. He danced the Travolta dance to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" dressed in the white 3 piece suit at a college function, and became an overnight sensation among all the students- juniors and seniors alike. He was the coolest kid and everybody wanted to hang out with him. DK is a successful executive today and well respected by his peers.

Well, as for me, I flew below the radar and no one noticed me. However, I did develop an interest in pop music- Bee Gees, Beatles and tried to listen and understand the lyrics. I even tried to dance in front of the mirror and realized that the best I could do was "Gump"( as in Forrest Gump) like. The first time I stepped my foot in a nightclub was in 1986, courtesy of a friend who knew a friend. I was in awe, sat in a corner and tried to act cool and gulped down a couple of beers while the hip crowd swayed to the music.

Few years later, I landed a travelling job which took me around the world and I too enjoyed the luxury of nightlife at some of the nicest night clubs in the world. "Tatous" (now defunct) in New York city was one of my favorites, '1900' at the Taj Hotel also brings back fond memories.

Just a couple of days ago, mind you, the year is 2010, I was watching History channel and it was a story on the making of "Saturday Night Fever". The story outlines the struggle of the producer, Director and actors to shoot the film within budget and the allocated time frame. Money is short, Local mafia is hustling the moviemakers for money and to top that John Travolta's girlfriend loses her life to cancer. The initial release is met with much skepticism due to thin story line and foul language. But finally, when it was released, it broke all records in the opening week. In the last 30 years I have watched SNF umpteen times and I totally love the movie. Also, being a big Travolta fan I have watched almost all of his movies. "Get Shorty" is one of my all time favorites and all of his other movies come a close second, even the crappy "Michael", story of a womanizing angel.

SNF is about life of teens and coming of age, the story revolves around the mundane chores and mediocre life in Brooklyn. Angst of the characters to break from the monotony and do something sensational with their lives and in the process, one of them actually pays with his life falling off the Verrazano bridge. Robert Stigwood takes a group of little known actors and makes SNF one of the biggest cult sensation ever. John Travolta is adored as the James Dean of 70's and nominated for the Academy awards for best actor. He immortalizes his solo dance sequence in the movie which he executes with pitch perfect timing, tenacity and vitality. It is said that he dedicated 9 months to practice those dance moves to precision. When the director wanted to cut some of it from the final edition, he would have none of it.

John Travolta became one of the most biggest and successful Hollywood Stars. Nonetheless, fame also brings controversy and he has had a fair share of it. Recently, he lost his teenage son in a tragic accident. it is hard to fathom... losing a child is hard, no matter what the age is!

Like Prem Naseer ( my favorite hero from Malayalam movies), young Amitabh Bacchan ( the angry young man of Hindi movies), John Travolta has a special place in my heart. Whether it be a dancer, a cowboy, wily politician, a shylock, a rogue extortionist or a desperate attorney, he plays them with conviction and wins your heart.

To put it into perspective, every one has experienced a little bit of Tony Manero's life. The hair, the swagger, the values, the attitude, we all go through that phase of life. I myself have experienced the agonies and ecstasies as a young man, the little victories which makes you feel like you are invincible and the heartbreaks which makes you not want to wake up the next day. I have 2 kids who will go through these stages in a few years and probably repeat a similar story someday, thus continuing the circle of life.

My Hero!

2010-06-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

My cousin passed away recently, succumbing to colon cancer after a futile fight for almost a year. He was my hero, some one who I looked up to and cared dearly. I wrote a letter to my nephew, summarizing my life and how he influenced it. I have somewhat come to terms with him not being around, getting emails from him and talking to him almost every week. Not a moment passes by without his thoughts flashing through my mind. Even when my dear mom passed away, it did not affect me to this extent.
(For privacy, I am changing real names to made up ones)

Dear Roger,

The earliest memory I have of chettan is him lying down on his bed in his room with ammayi( your grandma) sitting next to him and having a heart to heart conversation. I may have been 4 years old then. that would make him about 17. his dad- my Ammavan(uncle) was a good man at heart but very short tempered, most of the time I believe chettan got "caned" silly as he was the only one ammavan could take out his frustration. So, your dad inherited his dad's anger and in your house the poor remote controller and the little dog ended up being on the wrong end of the stick or rolled up paper.

He took care of me as a baby. I was born in your grandpa's house( the big house which you may have not seen). That house had a lot of character. Your Aunt inherited that and eventually sold it. I lived for the first 5 years of my life in Kerala shuttling between Mulakulam, Cheruvally( you must have heard of your dad referring to Kamala chitta), and Ponkunnam ( Biju koch's house).

He studied in Bhopal and Ujjain and I happened to travel to Kerala with chettan for Mallika chechi's wedding. I ate some grapes and my face turned all red. he panicked, thinking that I got some kind of illness and eventually realized it was just grape juice color that would just wash off. on the same trip I pooped in my pants and guess what he did the honors of cleaning me up. This was in 1968.

After he moved to Ujjain, I lost touch with him except for the occasional letter that I would receive from him. I knew he was in Bombay, working as an exporter and travelling abroad. he would send me post cards from exotic places like Hong Kong, Kenya, Mauritius etc. We would finally reunite after 10+ years in 1980 when as a skinny, shy, awkward, timid teenager I would land up in Bombay to study hotel management at Dadar catering college. I still remember clearly, he was wearing a light brown short sleeved shirt, dark pants and his stylish ray ban sunglasses. he gave me a big hug and a kiss- my chettan, he made me feel comfortable right away. I stayed with him in PG dig in Bandra Perry road for a week or so before I moved to the hostel.

Live life like a king, that was his motto, when he had money in his pocket, he had no problems spending it or helping out anyone. When he was broke he would take the bus, else it was always a taxi. Many people took advantage of his kindness.

I would visit him at least once or twice a month, sometimes more to borrow a few rupees, I was always broke ( I use the term borrow loosely because, I never paid him back :-)). In 1981 or 82 he introduced me to a lovely young lady at Andheri Station. She was pleasant but a little aloof, but I liked her right away. She warmed up to me in no time, maybe because of the positive vibes I sent out. No prize for guessing who that young lady was- "your mom". I think I gave her a diary to write notes once as a new year gift. Once she gave me a Gold cross pen which I still have to date, although I don’t use it. I hardly ever write, I am too used to typing and my handwriting is like a 3 year olds.

I was there at their wedding, your Dad was late as there was a taxi strike and he had to walk all the way from church gate to fort where the wedding took place. Your mom had an uneasy feeling, thinking that he might not show up. but he did, all drenched in sweat, I think it was October 8th, if memory serves me right. We went to "Dilli Darbar" in Colaba for lunch after the wedding.

After I finished college, it took me a while to find a job and again stayed with chettan for a couple of months. Guess what, he had to provide for me again as I had no income. Those were tough days for me and tougher for him.

I was a frequent visitor at your Grandpa's house in Nagpada, your grandpa and grandma were gracious hosts. We played cards on occasions and generally just hung around. Mind you I am still the insecure, shy and timid one. I only went because I felt comfortable among everyone there- your mom, grandma, grandpa, uncle and his family.

They bought their first flat and moved to Malad. You were born and were doted upon by your parents. Chettan had a special name for you " Kunjandan" I am not sure what it means but it must have been very endearing to him. He would make up songs like- "Tu soja bituva, tenu ninni aa gayi" ( go to sleep precious, you are sleepy) and others that I cannot remember. There was an elderly lady who took care of you. She was very loving and caring. From 1986 to 1992 I watched you grow from a baby to a toddler to a little boy. We used to play catch, bat ball in your living room. You would pretend to be Sunil Gavaskar walking back to the pavilion after getting out with the bat tucked under your arm and head down muttering :-). I would give you rides on my motorcycle around the block, with chettan watching and instructing you to hold on tight to my torso.

After I moved to US and Canada, I drifted around aimlessly and constantly looked towards chettan for guidance. he visited and you all visited as a family couple of times, you remember the trip to Connecticut in my beat up BMW. I fondly remember him buying all kinds of stuff for you and your room. My first 5 years in North America were hell, made some real bad decisions, lost thousands of dollars......it is endless saga. I kept my sanity with the hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and my conversations with chettan. He said never to lose hope.

When I cam to India and got married in 1998, you mom helped me pick out the ring which I gave to my wife, it was a nice small diamond ring on which I spent practically all the money I had. But as luck would have it, Air-India ( my previous employer) owed me some money and I got a decent amount as back pay that they owed me. Lata loves that ring even though it is a small diamond, but there is some thing about that ring that is very special. So when you find that special lady :-)who you want to propose to, take your mom with you to pick out that perfect ring. It may not be the most expensive but it will be classiest.

He was a jovial person, also could be annoying at times :-), he would talk non-stop and some times it made no sense. but that was him. You had to LOVE him for what he was, and ignore the rest. He would write all kids of nasty letters to newspapers and I would tell him -"please chetta stop, some one will beat the crap out of you". You don't make enemies in your own back yard. But he spoke his mind and did not fear the consequences.

The picture frame that hangs in your living room is symbolic( chettan, you and me). I don't need to elaborate. That picture speaks a thousand words.

I am writing this to you to refresh your memory. some of this you may already know, some may be buried deep in the sub- conscious part of your brain and just needs a little nudge. When I was growing up, I did not have anyone to look up to except chettan. You may ask- why not my own father- that is another long story, I will have to tell you another time. Your mom might know. she may be able to tell you. If not, I will share my story with you when we meet in person.

Love and hugs

Your Koch (short for Kochachan- Uncle).

Hi! Where are you from?

2010-06-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I was born in my Uncle's house in Mulakulam a small village near Piravam which falls under the kottayam district, but is closer to Ernakulam. from what I can remember I spent the first 5 years of my childhood there and with my 2 Aunts in Ponkunnam and Cheruvalli.

Next, I take a train to Bhopal and spent the rest of my childhood till I was a few months shy of 17. So that's about 12 years in the heart of India, both my parents worked at BHEL Bhopal and I had 3 other siblings born during the time. Initially, I was a wreck, I wanted to go back to Kerala to the comfort of my grandma's bosom. It took a good 7-8 years in Bhopal when I got a sense of belonging. I made a few friends who I cared for and they cared back for me. I made a few acquaintances who were just there for their vested interests- I was a book worm, did my homework on time and they wanted to copy , that was pretty much it, no other reason. I lived in the BHEL quarters, a semi ghetto, a pretty hostile environment as we were outsiders ( madrasis) in the Hindi/Urdu speaking part of the country and natives did not like us being there. not only us, but there was an exodus of migration from all over the country to Bhopal due to the job opportunities offered by BHEL and other new industries. It was Nehru's vision to integrate the country. I childhood and early teen years were pretty rough dealing with the anguish of my migrant parents who had problems of their own and the hostile environment outside. But by the time I felt comfortable and could stand my own ground, it was time to move on.

In 1980, I left Bhopal for Mumbai. It was Bombay then, but I have no problems calling it Mumbai as Maharashtrians wants it called that way. After all, it is their land. I respect that. If you have read my earlier posts, you know it was a struggle initially- Culture shock, big city ( Bhopal was a small town) it took me a while to adjust. But it was not that difficult as I had made up my mind to stay put no matter what. Again, I was a stranger in a strange land. I became a man in this city. I learned to drink and smoke, fell in and out of love, developed relationships and I was bonding with the city. From Andheri to Colaba ( I always lived and hung out close to the sea) I felt at home everywhere, whether eating vada pau on the street or a fancy meal in a 5 star restaurant with a pretty lady. Latter part of my life in Mumbai, I was flying high - literally, I was a flight purser with Air India. A young lady who wandered into my life for a short period of time had a big part in that, she gave me the boost that I needed to become a man and take life into my own hands and hold my head high. Sorry, can't name names here for privacy's sake. Travelling around the world and coming back to do laundry and get a clean set of clothes and off again. It was a lot of fun while it lasted. Then the adventurer in me started nagging me to move on. And so I did.

New York- if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. I almost did not make it. I arrived here in 1992 with great hopes of making it big, in the Big Apple. My confidence and swagger turned into despair and disillusionment due to bad judgments and poor decisions. One has to be either really tough or lucky to make it here and I guess I was neither. As fate would have it, another young lady who I spent a good part of 2 years with helped me stay sane and focused and keep it together.Some how I managed to survive for 3 years,full of ups and downs and lots of uncertainties. Sadly, the lesson I learnt here was not to trust anyone. That brings me to Ontario, Canada.

I arrived in Toronto with a heavy heart and despair. I needed to hit the ground running and there were no other options. but with limited resources and thousands of dollars in debt, all I could manage was a below average start. I am still looking for that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Independent thinking, luck, my mother's prayers etc turned me in the direction of education for a better tomorrow. Working 3 jobs simultaneously, continuing education kept me busy for the next 2.5 years. Then as luck would have it again, I find my soul mate and marriage happens. That would be the turning point in my life. exactly 35 years after I came into this world. Once again it is time to pack my bags and move, but before that I change my nationality, I am a Canadian, eh!. ( eh! is a popular Canadian way of speech- they finish every sentence with eh!)

Oak forest, IL, a small sleepy, bedroom community just Southwest of Chicago. This is home and this is where I sleep best. I have been living here for 11 years with my wife of 12 years who I love more than myself. She always teases me, I can only sleep well, if she is next to me, guess what .......it is true. I can't get a good night's sleep if it is not next to my sweetheart.

I change my nationality again, I am an American now. Our children were born here and they are growing up, carefree, happy, secure and full of mischief. We live in a comfortable environment and have everything we need, almost everything.......as a human being, one is never satisfied, they always want more.

So, back to the question: Where are you from? My answer is never the same, it all depends on who, where, when, how and on what context the question is asked. I am the little kid from Mulakulam who grew up in Bhopal, became a man in Mumbai, and live in peace in Oak forest, IL. however, I am also a New Yorker, and a Torontonian.

Mr. & Mrs. Iyer

2010-06-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have seen Rahul Bose as a young man playing Rugby at “Bombay Gymkhana” and hanging with his buddies, where I used to work as a part-time waiter during the mid 80’s working my way through college. Short in stature but ruggedly handsome, poised and dignified, there was something about him that stood out from others. Glad to see him succeed as an accomplished actor.

About the movie: Set in the back ground of communal violence, these two strangers, Meenakshi and Raja meet up by chance on a ride to a common destination. Fate brings them closer to each other in the form of a cranky crying child which also saves Raja’s(Rahul) life. Although Raja seems reluctant and aloof initially, he gels with them seeing her plight trying to juggle a crying child, glaring seatmate and annoying fellow riders.

Raja, a compassionate, modern gentleman,yet a little arrogant, puts his life in line to keep a promise to his friend and Meenakshi’s father, to ensure that she and her child have a safe passage through the curfew and the riots. He is drawn towards her in spite of the fact that she is married with a child and has a chip on her shoulder.

Meenakshi ( Konkana) traditional, devoted to her family and child but drawn to Raja for everything he is to her and her child during the crisis, shows superb emotions and body language depicting the anguish and growing sexual tension between them. Like the young ladies with the excursion group point out, she looks too young to be a mother and there is an inner child in her which yearns to get out and act out her emotions openly with Raja.

The scene where they witness a man’s throat being slashed from the forest bungalow is executed beautifully and professionally with a lot of emotions. Dialogues are meaningful and precise. Similarly during the train ride the scenes were acted out refreshingly perfect, without the usual overacting and melodrama seen in Bollywood movies.

One thing that I found that was missing was, he never thanks her for saving his life, if it wasn’t for Meenakshi thrusting the crying child on Raja’s lap when the two fanatics were hunting for Muslim victims, and she readily answering to their query of what their names were with “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer”, he would have been caught, if they had him pull down his pants ( you know what I mean). Maybe I am over analyzing, but that is my take on that one. Just like Lieutenant Dan ( Gary Sinese) never thanks Gump ( Tom Hanks) for saving his life in ” Forrest Gump”, till the very end of the movie.

The movie is in English, with none of the phony accents, spoken perfectly like how Indian speak. We tend to forget that India was a British colony for 400 years, English is the common language that brings all of India together, with all of its 18 languages and boneheaded political decision of splitting up the states linguistically after independence from the British rule.

Music is so-so, did not care much about the songs. Maybe if I watch it a few more times, which I intent to, I might change my mind about Zakir Hussain’s music, which I immensely admire. In conclusion, a beautiful and powerful story with a lot of subtle underlying messages, humanity for one.

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

Happy Feet

2010-06-14T12:12:00.002-07:00

Seriously, what were the “Warner Brothers” thinking marketing this movie towards a target audience of mainly impressionable kids with all the promos and paraphernalia. As an adult,I would probably enjoy it- retro music, brilliant tap dancing and animation. But a weak story about Ocean pollution and preserving the environment for wild life specifically of the penguin kind in the southern hemisphere. This movie probably racked in millions of dollars and was a success. But if you ask me, it was a sheer waste of my hard earned $50.00 ( tickets + snacks for a family of four).

We took our 4 and 6 year old for to see this movie, after they watched the trailer, about this cute and cuddly ill penguin, who tap dances. All excited and charged up, they wait for the warm and fuzzies to happen, instead what they get is boring retro music of which they have no idea of, penguins dancing and singing in the most suggestive and vulgar manner inappropriate for kids. Half way thought the movie the main character penguin is chased by a mean looking Seal who is so menacing that my 4 year old rips out a blood curdling scream and he is petrified and sitting on my lap for the rest of the movie with his eyes closed and ears covered. He pretty much sobbed for the rest of the movie only to take breaks to sip his drink and munch on popcorn. My six year old was bored beyond belief and declared-”Dad, we don’t want to see movie this again”, normally if they like a movie in the theater we wait for it to be released on DVD, rent and watch it again till heart’s content.

Whoever is heard of a bosomy female penguin( penguins do not have bosoms), at least that is how the main female penguins are portrayed in the movie? Raised chest thrusting gently forward as they walk, talking in “bedroom voice”( Nicole Kidman), clearly an attempt to make the young audience notice. What was with the goofy accents of the Latino sounding (ethnic?) penguins?

Guys! see this movie for all its worth, the music, tap dancing and animation which is far out. But, leave your toddlers and kids under 7 at home. It will not make any sense to them and also save them from nightmares. Also, there is enough filth on regular TV. If I want environmental messages, I will watch PBS of which I am a huge fan and thankful for quality age appropriate programs, at appropriate times.

The story is nothing to write home about, so I am going to save you the trouble. Bottom line is- in the Penguin world, human beings are evil. To sum it up, my message to the Warner Brothers: Shame on you for misleading my kids, if you have any decency, you will refund my money. Thanks for nothing!!

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

Prem Naseer- Superstar of yesteryears

2010-06-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

You wanted low budget, commercial movies?-Prem Naseer doled out 100’s of them, over 700 to give a ballpark figure. Cine Goers loved him, especially women who loved the tear jerker family dramas he acted in with Sheela, Sharada and Jayabharati.

If Sathyan was the upper-crust elitist’s accomplished actor, Prem Naseer was everybody’s hero, a true blue collar working class actor, who tirelessly churned out movies after movies for the rich and poor, the penniless farmers and the handrikshaw pullers, the coolies at the railway station and the expatriate malayalees, like my parents who moved to northern part of India looking for work and a better life. He romanced the heroines, beat up the bad guys, played the unemployed union activist, dedicated son and rich spoiled brat with a soft heart, with equal aplomb.

He made a good team with Adoor Bhasi as the comedic sidekick. As a lead pair, Sheela acted with him in a record number of movies. In my eyes he was a true super star, remaining a top Malayalam film actor for many years spanning from early sixties to the early seventies. if Amitabh was my favorite Hindi actor for his splendid performance in Zanjeer and Deeewar, Prem Naseer was my favorite Malayalam actor for all the cheap laughs and stunts, melodious songs ( sung by Yesudas), and family drama.

Naseer sir, thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing 3 hours of fantasy, every now and then which otherwise was a somewhat forgettable childhood, dealing with the anguish of blue collar working class parents, antagonistic surroundings and a general sense of not belonging.

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

Movie Review: Sleepers

2010-06-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sleepers, released in the late 90’s is a chilling story of innocence lost, pedophilia, revenge and redemption. This movie is based on a controversial novel about life in the Hell’s Kitchen( part of Manhattan, New York) in the late 1960’s in the backdrop of Mob(organized crime), Catholic Church, poverty and anguish of it’s blue collar inhabitants.

With a lineup of Super stars like Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Ron Eldard, Minnie Driver, Jason Patric and Billy Crudup, Sleepers is well acted and deftly crafted. This is a story of how a simple prank which went wrong turns into a life changing event for 4 innocent boys (Lorenzo, Michael, John and Tommy) who are best friends. They steal a hot dog vendor’s cart of which they lose control of going down the steps and nearly causes a man’s death. They are found guilty of reckless endangerment and sent to a juvenile reform School( Wilkinson) in upstate New York. There, under the watchful eye of a sadistic guard named Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), they are subjected to mental, physical, and sexual abuse.

Although their sentences are only for a year, those twelve months fundamentally alter their personalities. Fast forward to 1981 when John and Tommy (Ron Eldrad and Billy Crudup) who have turned into hardened criminals have a chance meeting with Nokes in a restaurant and kill him in cold blood. The ensuing court drama entails Michael(Brad Pitt) an attorney in the D A’s office prosecuting his old friends while at the same time secretly plotting their acquittal. Lorenzo (Jason Patric) who is an aspiring newspaper reporter is helping Michael, along with Father Bobby ( Robert DeNiro) a washed out lawyer ( Dustin Hoffman) and Carol ( Minnie Driver), to turn the trial into a indictment against all the abusive guards, who they tolerated as delinquents 15 years ago at Wilkinson.

The movie’s moral compass is Father Bobby, a Catholic priest who recognizes that friendship and loyalty may require sacrifice of the soul, but doesn’t tread lightly across the line separating what’s legally correct and what’s ethically mandated. In fact, Father Bobby’s dilemma is arguably the most compelling aspect of Sleepers’ in the latter part of the movie. I am a big De Niro fan and this I have to say is one of his best performance.

In fact, De Niro isn’t the only one to turn in a powerful performance. Kevin Bacon as the ruthless, sadistic, pedophile cop is chilling. Ron Eldard, who has few lines to say in the movie, is brilliant. Dustin Hoffman as the lawyer with a substance problem is simply superb. Then there are those intense scenes in the Wilkinson reform school(nothing overly graphic is shown, but much is implied).

I have to caution you, this movie can be really disturbing and traumatizing and can leave a lasting impression.

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

Movie Review: Training Day

2010-06-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love Denzel Washington! Great performer and actor, has a fantastic stage presence. “Remember the Titans”, “Malcolm X”, “Philadelphia”, the list goes on and on and then there was “Training Day”. Whoa…what a performance, Academy award, Best Actor. But wait a minute, he plays a bad guy, rogue cop!, would I want to see this movie again….any other Denzel movie…I will watch it again, again and again, alright you get my drift, I just love him too much. Training Day? not a chance…..it was too creepy. Denzel takes on a role which perhaps was tailor made for him. He is probably one of the most decent Hollywood types. but I doubt if any one could play the part of “Alonzo Harris” so convincingly. He did it so well that it gives you the chills. An accredited film personality like Ethan Hawke looks like an after thought in that movie.

Released in 2001,setting is the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, shot in notoriously dangerous housing projects. The movie follows a single day in the life of a young cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) as he is subject to a day evaluation by Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated LAPD police narcotics officer, to see if he has what it takes to be a “Narc”.

Alonzo as it appears has sold his soul to the devil and does not care a damn about anyone including the rookie. He is all about himself and saving his ass. He is ruthless and all he cares about that day is to figure out a way to pay off the Russian mob who he owes a million dollars in gambling debt. Jake on the other hand is an honest cop excited about his first day as a “narc”. Alonzo insists on indulging him in activities that are unpolice like and uses it against him at a later stage.

Alonzo is also this narcissistic individual who is banging a stunning Eva Mendes, and is the self proclaimed king of the Ghetto. He and the other corrupt co- officers stages this fake sting operation and steals stashes of money from a dealer which is supposed to be used to pay off the Mob. Jake takes on Alonzo, almost gets killed and eventually tames him into submission and even the ghetto dwellers who once feared him turns against him.

The last few minutes is kinda unreal as the bad guy is gunned down execution style by the people who he owes money. A good story which got mangled in the end. Ethan Hawke delivers but in the presence of Denzel, he is simply a shadow. Eva Mendes is gorgeous. Denzel we bow before thee, we are simply not worthy. Will I watch this movie again?….maybe, with one eyes closed . I say see it….but tell the kids to stay away!.

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

Movie Review: Mere- Apne

2010-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Flashback to 1975, a 12 year old boy and his 8 year old sister waiting patiently at a Ramlila ground in the outskirts of Bhopal for a “sadak chhap” ( street free-bee) movie to begin. The movie- “MERE-APNE”, starring Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna, Shotgun Sinha and the regulars during early 70’s. When I say regular, all movies had Asrani, Paintal, Danny Denzongpa, AK Hangal and the likes in almost all movies. OK…so the movie begins at about 7.30pm give or take 15 minutes depending upon the scope of technical difficulties, sound testing etc. 20 to 30 minutes into the movie, we run home…….why? we have a 8.00pm or 8.30pm curfew…strictly enforced by Dad. Repeat the same scene about 10 to 15 times. Yes, ladies and gentlemen me and my dear sister watched the first 15-30 minutes of Mere-Apne umpteen times in the mid 70’s. Fast forward to 2007, I am sitting in the comfort of my family room with Sony surround sound and voila…I watched the whole movie after 30+ years with tears running down my eyes, thinking about my sister. She is in Baroda and did not think too much of it:-)

This movie narrates a story of unemployment, vigilante justice, failure of idealism, moralities and nonviolence, wily politicians, manipulative family members, corruption, Youth frustration, anger and discontent.

Mind you, India was a young democracy then, A young director, Gulzarji, who identifies with what was prevalent, captures the essence of unrest in the nation. he brings out the best in Shatrughan Sinha ( in my opinion, this movie belongs to him), Vinod Khanna and Meena Kumari. Danny, Mehmood and the rest of the crew did their part to perfection. No melodrama, no histrionics.

Although the theme appears to be the plight of Meena Kumari as an old timer being manipulated by young relatives to take care of their home and child and enmity and hatred between two rival street gangs, one has to look beyond that to understand how the director is subtly mocking the society and urging the common man to wake up and smell the coffee.

I really urge you to see this movie if you haven’t, it could be a wake up call or gentle refresher. Music is gentle and catchy. Shatru will keep you on the edge, Vinod Khanna will give you your money’s worth and Meena Kumari will steal your heart with her performance, Danny will leave you teary eyed.

Soak in and Enjoy.

*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*

2008- A year to remember

2008-12-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I have not posted a single article this year, 2008. How could it be?

So many things happend this year........

Firstly, for the first time in my life I got fired from a job....No.... not because I screwed up or was incompetent. I got into the face of my brand new manager and gave him some straight talk.I am not in the shit business, give no shit, take no shit, so when he was yelling at me for something that was no fault of mine, I let him have it, the only difference, I did not yell. I knew it was coming, I shoulda' resigned but I don't do anything without consulting my wife, so I did not. However, Human Resources acknowledged my flawless track record for 3.5 years and accepted my resignation. Thanks Amanda!

I did not have to wait too long, 4 weeks later I found a better paying job in a better environment. However, I was in a mood to experiment and check my credibility in the market, so I changed employers 2 more times before settling into my current position. Hey, it is good to know that you are wanted and if you have the right skillset, it is not that difficult to find another opportunity and get paid appropriately. It is a hassle dressing up in suits and going to interviews and fake enthusiasm but in the end it is all worth it, there are mouths to feed and bills to pay.

Second, I became a citizen of the United States of America. After 16 years of living in North America, I took the plunge and this great nation adopted me as a naturalized citzen. Not a big deal, but considering the path I took, it was a big deal. God Bless America, my home sweet home. Prior to becoming a US citizen, I was a Canadian for 8 years.

Mumbai, a city which is close to my heart, where I became a man from a child got hit by the worst kind of terrorism. 10 or more scumbags brutally raped the city and held a whole country hostage for close to 3 days. Shame on you, Indian politicians, it is a tossup between you and the gun yielding terrorists, who are worse?. I leave it upto the good judgement of the readers of this blog ( which are not that many :-))

This year we as a family we lost tens of thousands of dollars in our retirement funds, College Savings etc. Gives me the Hee..bee...gee..bees........hope we can recover and move forward, else there is no retirement in sight.

It has been a year full of ups and downs like a roller coaster. Hope it will bring a
better, peaceful and prosperous 2009.

Holiday Jitters and Social Anxiety

2007-12-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

I have to admit.....I am a social retard. As much as I try to pretend, and try to fit in, I can't and it is such a catch 22 situation for me "damned if I do and damned if I don't". My wife on the other hand is just the opposite. She is going to drag me to atleast 4 Christmas social gatherings in this next one week and I am not all pleased about it. I have not much choice but tag along and pretend to make small conversations with people and enjoy myself.
Mind you......I am not a people hater. I like people and have no issues dealing with them on a one on one basis. Also, I have no issues with meetings and discussions as long as it is work related ,perhaps due to the fact that it provides me with a paycheck every 2 weeks and keeps the bills paid on time. In my younger days I would try to act all cool and try to fit in only to be shunned by the cooler ones, but now I can be myself and not care about what everyone else thinks about me.

I am sure it all goes back to my upbringing where we had a house full of people all the time and no privacy at any given time. There was some one or the other on your face all the time. My mother took the worst hit, cooking and cleaning after all these people in addition to taking care of her 4 little children including myself. Due to the expectation for her to produce the deliverables in a timely fashion,she was always on the edge and made us all edgy. One wrong move and we would all be in the line of fire. My poor mom, she vented all her anger on us kids and regretted later.

Holidays like Onam was the worst ands to date I dread when Onam comes around. Deepavali wasn't too bad as somehow my dad had an affinity for fireworks which was fun for all of us. We all got the customary new clothes and it was a better holiday than others. I did not really care for Holi, Vishu , Christmas or any other holidays. But when you have kids,it is different and do a lot of things differently for their sake and to create good memories for them.

We recently took a weeklong vacation at Disney World Florida. basically it was a holiday for the kids as it was a good age for them to experience the wonders of what Walt Disney created for little kids. it was grand, opulent and display of capiltalism at its best. We all had a lot of fun. But if it wasn't for the boys, I woulda' scrammed out of there even before I got in. Endless queues, exorbitant prices and phony park staff all around saying " have a magical day". Mickey rules these grounds and is probably revered more than God around there. I would jokingly tell my wife- Mickey is the 11th re-incarnation of Vishnu and is here to save the world along with Minnie, goofy, Pluto and the others. They will annoy the world into submission and peace will eventually prevail.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Cheers to new beginnings in 2008!!

25 years after College

2007-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

The year was 1983, just finished the last exam, of the final exams. Now what? Maybe a short vacation, little rest and relaxation after all that "hard" work I put in, to pass the exams. That seemed like a good idea till Mom started pestering to find a job. Do I want to stay in Bhopal?...I don't think so. Back to Mumbai it is on the good ol' Punjab Mail, second class reservation compartment.. all the way till Dadar. Do I have a place to stay? No, can't go back to the hostel, that chapter of my life is over. Shacked up with my cousin for a few weeks.

India won the Cricket World cup, Yes!! the whole country is celebrating. Well, my reserve cash is running out and I am almost about to hit the panic button... there comes opportunity knocking in the form of couple of odd jobs to keep floating and avoid starvation. Still searching for that dream job in a ritzy 5 star hotel. Well, that did not happen. Settled for Captain's job at a 4 Star hotel in South Mumbai.First day of job, nervous as hell, everybody is looking at me funny, seems like the whole world is ganged up against me. I want my Mommy..... Built up enough courage to go back to work the next day, the day after.. weeks.. months, it is not too bad but not the best either. The salary sucks, 12-14 hour work days, unappreciative management, Unionized subordinates and deplorable working conditions. Since I don't really have anything else to do except work ,get drunk after work and sleep, it is OK, life goes on like this for a couple of years.

Fast forward to 1986, frustration is building up due to lack of recognition from Management, crappy salary and everything mentioned above. I make a hasty decision and quit, do a couple of short gigs at Airport hotels in Mumbai. Get back to South Mumbai , this time working for a Premiere Private Club as Restaurant Manager, still long hours, but the remuneration is good, Management is appreciative of my work ethics and treat me with dignity and respect.

September 1988, shock of my life. I am hired as a Flight Attendant for a leading International Airline.... whoa... I had to pinch myself to believe it... repeatedly. Life is awesome for the next 4 years as I travel to different parts of the world. But, I am tired of the monotonous life in 4 years, novelty has worn out.I want to get back to what I know best, I need the challenge and satisfaction of a job well done.

So, Off to North America it is in 1992, the land of milk and honey.The initial enthusiasm died out in a few months when reality set in. Strange land, culture, subtle discrimination, Unfamilar surroundings. It took a few years to get into the groove of things, trying to assimilate into mainstream America, make a career in hospitality and move ahead in life. However, setback after setback lead to disappointment and disillusionment. I still cannot see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnell.Nevertheless, I keep chugging looking for resolutions and alternatives.

The late 90's brought the second wave of "Gold" rush to America,the first one being in late 1800's. This time it is not the precious metal but technology, "dotcom". Not having a clue what it is, but curious to know, I start my academic journey once again, and by the end of the 20th century I am ready for my new career. Employment market is hot, I find an entry level technology position with ease. With the right attitude and aptitude, I am blazing the trail and moving up the ranks reasonable quickly.

Present day, 2006. Here I am 23 years after Catering College, disengaged from Hospitality but remembering with gratitude and reverance, for taking me on this journey of life filling it with excitement,anticipation, rich experience and making me the man that I am today.

Cow dung cakes, RamRatan and Airplanes...

2007-10-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

In my pre-teen and teen years one of my resposibilities were to take care of our 2 cows and their calves. Feed them,take them out for grazing and bringing them back home at a reasonable ours before milking time were the chores involved. Sounds like fun right.......not!Looking back at it I appreciate my dad making me do all that as I have learnt to love and respect animals. But those days, it cut into my time for other activities :-). Also, there was a cute girl in the 'hood, who was also my classmate, on whom I had the biggest crush. I was so embarrassed when she saw me tending to the cows.

The worst part was collecting the cow dung and making cow dung cakes. These cakes after drying would be used for fuel. I had to do this before going to school, so no matter how much soap you applied, I stank of cow dung!! well..I guess no one noticed
because everybody else stank too of something or the other. Kids from the North Indian families stank of "mustard oil". One way to mask the stink was a lotion called " Boroline". Deodarants were non-existent those days, actually, even now 30 years later,deodarant is not really a commonly used commodity. So, for years, I took care of "Ammini", "nandini", "Aniyathi", "Mani" and "Karambi pashu" ( she was a fiesty one).

That brings me to RamRatan, a punk kid in the 'hood. He came from one of the poorer families in the BHEL N1 quarters( accomodation for labor class employees). He was a sneaky dude who would wait to snag anything that came to hand including Kanndas, guava fruit or mango fruit ( we had these trees in our yard). I would chase him around the block with the choicest words. His whole family would come out and yell at me which would make me retreat like a scared dog. I wonder what Ram Sharif is upto these days? he was my age. Hope he is well.....wherever he is.

As I mentioned before, making the cow dung cakes was my least favorite chore. All dirty with the dung and swatting away vicious flies who are capable of drilling holes into your body, I would look up in the sky and see the long trail of plane fuel of jets flying thousands of feet above me. I would secretly wish I was on one of those jets going to some faraway land where milk and honey flowed, men dressed up in nice suits, hats and boots and ladies in lovely dresses.

To put things into perspective, here I am in a faraway land, reminiscing about wishes that came true.

How much affection is too much? or too little? If I can freeze time.......!! Who wants to be a Rocket scientist?

2007-09-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Love you Dad!... Love you Mom!... Love my boys!....Love my honey!.... who loves his boys?, who loves his girl?!.......If some one eaves drop around our home these phrases are flying around intermittently almost every few minutes when we are home. Call us loonies but we are a bunch of people who don't hide our affection for one another. That keeps the home fun and relaxed.

Consider this... I grew up in a household where affection was rarely shown and it was also considered that if you too much affection to your kids they will get spoiled and take advantage of you. I disagree....if you have love and affection ..show it.......else how is the other person going to know?, especially if they are little kids. It only makes them more secure and strong.

I was 16 years old when I left home for college, My sister was 10, brothers were 8 and 6 respectively. For me that age is frozen in time and I still see my little siblings as the little kids that they were.. If course I do not treat like them, they are all grown up adults now. Sometimes I call my two boys Aji and Manu, my brothers nicknames........out of habit from 25+ years ago. I happily took them under my wings and proudly looked after them.

Our kids are 5 and 7 and there are times when I wish I could freeze time and keep them that way for ever...that is selfish of me....they have to grow up and experience everything like everybody else. But it is that age where they are innocent, look up to us as we are superheroes ( mom and dad) and we can make anything better with a little kiss and a hug. My 2 boys' bed are occupied all the time by Barry the bear, blue the little dog, Mooomu the big dog, Moosie the Moose(deer), Snaky the teddy bear, Kiki the tiger, Dino the dinosuar and "Pup Pillai" Vinny newest hand puppet. OK, now you know that these are all stuffed animal toys. Also, their best friends, when they feel sick or sad, they find comfort with these dudes.

Soon they will pass this stage, resistence and independence is going to slowly break out in their dimension and things are going to change. I guess we have to keep a sane head and take one day at a time. Show them appreciation and teach values as you would want them to appreciate life. Easier said than done with today's dynamic world where things are changing at such a fast pace and peer pressure to top that.

We all want our kids to succeed, but is it right to contantly push them?......where is the limit? where is the fine line when encouragement becomes a nag? my older son wants to be a fireman when he grows up and save lifes and fight fires. the younger one wants to be a garbage truck driver with his best buddy Chris as the garbage picker who tosses garbage into the truck. when i was a little boy I wanted to be the school bus driver, as he was some one with a lot of authority and power. Here we have parents encouraging and enrolling their kids at tender ages to participate in academic programs which are above and beyond the normal curriculum. Is it absolutely necessary to do that? I would rather have a child who is happy, secure, aware, and street smart. Also some one who is a strong team player with good leadership qualities, when required. A healthy body also helps a healthy mind. Get good grades but also understand the concept and context during the learning process.

You...dear reader.....anything you wanna say? agree with me? no? Say something.....will ya?

Remember!!

2007-09-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

It was 8.30 am on a fall tuesday, on the way to work, I over heard 2 Metra workers talking about a plane crashing into a building. Having not a clue what it was all about, and also half asleep due to taking care of a 10 month old infant who loved to wake up in the middle of the night and play. I ignored it initially as some BS. Not till I reached the office and turned on CNN, I realized what had happend. Close to 3000 fatalities, 16000 + survivors and quite a few just plain missing.

Today,on the sixth anniversary, let's take a few moments to rememeber the innocent civilians, Fire, Paramedics and police personnel who lost their lives due to this dastardly act.

Long live Peace, harmony and Love. God bless and save the living beings in this world.

A song for India

2007-08-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Click on the title to listen to this beautiful song-

Loose translation from original french score by-Jussi Björling - Song of India:

" The Diamonds of our land are innumerable,
The pearls in our seas are incalculable
It is India, the land of wonders.
In one of our sites, a ruby emerges,
A bird inhabites with the visage of a virgin,
Day and night it sings with a ravishing voice,
His brilliant feathers cover the entire shore.
Whoever would be able to hear it, would be born anew from the ashes. "

A tribute to My Mom.

2007-08-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

It was My mother's 3rd death anniversary on August 9th. I think about her everyday and sometimes shed a silent tear, not because she is not here any more ( she is in a happy place now) but the way she had to tolerate injustice and nonsense all her life. Society and Life in general was not fair to her. I know that there are millions of other people who had worse plight than her, but she was my mother and what transpired in her life directly affects me and my siblings. From the time I can remember she worked hard and suffered injustice for the sake of her family. what hurts the most is that it came from the people she trusted with her life. There was nothing much she could do except ride the waves and hope for the best to happen. She prayed everyday for her children and thanks to her prayers and sacrifices we are all in a comfortable place and somewhat in peace.

Her typical day would start at 4.30, do house chores, go to work at 8.00 am, come back from work at 5.00 pm, do more chores till 10.30 pm. She had a short fuse and most of the time she would take it out on us kids. But she loved us and took care of us to the best of her ability. She was the employee of the year in the early 60's at HEIL Bhopal where she worked for close to 40 years and retired a few years back. Defitely an achievement and a shining moment in her life. Her smile could light up a room, when she had that rare occasion to smile.

I wish I could go back in time and make things right for her, even though that would mean questioning my own existence.

Love you, Ma. I know you are happy and in peace wherever you are :-).

Bye Bye Life

2007-08-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

Bye bye life
Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness
I think I'm gonna die
I think I'm gonna die
Bye bye love
bye bye sweet caress
Hello emptiness
I feel like I could die
Bye bye your life goodbye
Bye bye my life goodbye
There goes my baby with someone new
She sure looks happy
I sure am blue
He sure is blue

Happy 60th Birthday- India!!

2007-08-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

I read this article ( http://www.newyorker.com/services/referral?messageKey=2acc84a18cd10d79f40273cd5f0f9f80 ) in New Yorker and share with you the atrocities committed by the inadequate, ignorant, arrogant and indifferent British Raj towards India and Indians, the so called "Jewel in the frickin' crown", during August of 1947 and after when millions of innocent people were killed, raped, maimed, orphaned and rendered homeless in the name of partition and independence.

Mind you- I take anything that mainstream media dishes out with a grain of salt but definitely there is a lot of substance to this article which provoked me to blog about it and forward to you guys to get a general opinion on what your thoughts are.

Our generation arrived within 15 years of 1947 and I am sure many of us were affected directly or indirectly by the repercussions of the events after. I am a malayalee who grew up in a very hostile environment in Bhopal. Today Bhopal is assimilated and a amiable place to live in, not so 40 years ago when immigrants from all over the country were pouring in looking for work and in the process settling down and and raising families. I could write a book detailing the agonies, anguishes and ecstasies( it wasn't all bad... there were some good aspects too.....) of growing up there but I'll save it for another time.

Read and reflect, spare a moment to pray for the innocent citizens all over the world, who pay the price, for games politicians and power mongers play.

The real Slim Shady- Eminem

2007-08-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

May I have your attention please?
May I have your attention please?
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
I repeat, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
We're gonna have a problem here..

Y'all act like you never seen a white person before
Jaws all on the floor like Pam, like Tommy just burst in the door
and started whoopin her ass worse than before
they first were divorce, throwin her over furniture (Ahh!)
It's the return of the... "Ah, wait, no way, you're kidding,
he didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
And Dr. Dre said... nothing you idiots!
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement! (Ha-ha!)
Feminist women love Eminem
[*vocal turntable: chigga chigga chigga*]
"Slim Shady, I'm sick of him
Look at him, walkin around grabbin his you-know-what
Flippin the you-know-who," "Yeah, but he's so cute though!"
Yeah, I probably got a couple of screws up in my head loose
But no worse, than what's goin on in your parents' bedrooms
Sometimes, I wanna get on TV and just let loose, but can't
but it's cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose
"My bum is on your lips, my bum is on your lips"
And if I'm lucky, you might just give it a little kiss
And that's the message that we deliver to little kids
And expect them not to know what a woman's clitoris is
Of course they gonna know what intercourse is
By the time they hit fourth grade
They got the Discovery Channel don't they?
"We ain't nothing but mammals.." Well, some of us cannibals
who cut other people open like cantaloupes [SLURP]
But if we can hump dead animals and antelopes
then there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope
[*EWWW!*] But if you feel like I feel, I got the antidote
Women wave your pantyhose, sing the chorus and it goes

'Cause I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real Shady
All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating
So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up,
please stand up, please stand up?

Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell his records;
well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too!
You think I give a damn about a Grammy?
Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me
"But Slim, what if you win, wouldn't it be weird?"
Why? So you guys could just lie to get me here?
So you can, sit me here next to Britney Spears?
Shit, Christina Aguilera better switch me chairs
so I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst
and hear 'em argue over who she gave head to first
You little bitch, put me on blast on MTV
"Yeah, he's cute, but I think he's married to Kim, hee-hee!"
I should download her audio on MP3
and show the whole world how you gave Eminem VD [AHHH!]
I'm sick of you little girl and boy groups, all you do is annoy me
so I have been sent here to destroy you [bzzzt]
And there's a million of us just like me
who cuss like me; who just don't give a fuck like me
who dress like me; walk, talk and act like me
and just might be the next best thing but not quite me!

I'm like a head trip to listen to, cause I'm only givin you
things you joke about with your friends inside your living room
The only difference is I got the balls to say it
in front of y'all and I don't gotta be false or sugarcoated at all
I just get on the mic and spit it
and whether you like to admit it [*ERR*] I just shit it
better than ninety percent of you rappers out can
Then you wonder how can kids eat up these albums like valiums
It's funny; cause at the rate I'm goin when I'm thirty
I'll be the only person in the nursin home flirting
Pinchin nurses asses when I'm jackin off with Jergens
And I'm jerkin but this whole bag of Viagra isn't working
And every single person is a Slim Shady lurkin
He could be workin at Burger King, spittin on your onion rings
[*HACH*] Or in the parkin lot, circling
Screaming "I don't give a fuck!"
with his windows down and his system up
So, will the real Shady please stand up?
And put one of those fingers on each hand up?
And be proud to be outta your mind and outta control
and one more time, loud as you can, how does it go?

Ha ha
Guess there's a Slim Shady in all of us
Fuck it, let's all stand up

Sold- John Micahel Montgomery

2007-08-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well I went down to the grundy county auction
Where I saw something I just had to have
My mind told me I should proceed with caution
But my heart said, "go ahead an’ make a bid on that!"

An’ I said, hey, pretty lady, won’cha gi’me a sign
I’d give anything to make you mine all mine
I’ll do your biddin’ an’ be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin’ so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she’s a one-of-a-kind
I’m goin’ once, goin’ twice,
I’m sold! on the lady in the second row
She’s an eight, she’s a nine, she’s a ten, I know
She’s got ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
An’ I’m about to bid my heart good-bye!

Well, the auctioneer was goin’ about a mile a minute
He was takin’ bids an’ callin’ them out loud
An’ I guess I was really gettin’ in it
’cause I just shouted out above the crowd!

An’ I said, hey, pretty lady, won’cha gi’me a sign
I’d give anything to make you mine all mine
I’ll do your biddin’ an’ be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin’ so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she’s a one-of-a-kind
I’m goin’ once, goin’ twice,
I’m sold! on the lady in the long black dress
Well she won my heart it was no contest
With her ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
Well I’m about to bid my heart good-bye!

Yeah, we found love on the auction block
An’ I hauled her heart away
Now we still love to laugh about
The way we met that day

When I said, hey, pretty lady, won’cha gi’me a sign
I’d give anything to make you mine all mine
I’ll do your biddin’ an’ be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin’ so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she’s a one-of-a-kind
I’m goin’ once, goin’ twice,
I’m sold! on the lady in the second row
She’s an eight, she’s a nine, she’s a ten, I know
Shes’s got ruby red lips, blond hair blue eyes
An’ I’m about to bid my heart good-bye

Gangsta's paradise by Coolio

2007-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realise there's none left
'Cause I've been brassing and laughing so long that
Even my mamma thinks that my mind is gone
But I aint never crossed a man that didn't deserve it
Me be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of
You better watch how you talking, and where you walking
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk
I really hate to trip but I gotta lope
As they croak I see myself in the pistal smoke ... fool
I'm the kinda G that little homies want to be like
On my knees in the night, saying prayers in the street light

They been spending most their lives living in the gangsta's paradise
They been spending most their lives living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise

They got the situation, they got me facing
I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the strip
So I gotta be down with the hood team
Too much television watching got me chasing dreams
I'm an educated fool with my knee on my mind
Got my 10 in my hand and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loped out gangsta set trippin banger
And my homies is down so gonna rouse my anger ... fool
Death aint nothing but a heart beat away
I'm living life do or die, what can I say
I'm 23 never will I live to see 24
The way things is going I don't know

Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me

They been spending most their lives living in the gangsta's paradise
They been spending most their lives living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise

Power and the money, money and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everybody's running, but half of them aint looking
What's going on in the kitchen, but I don't know what's cooking
They say I've got to learn but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it, how can they reach me
I guess they can't
I guess they won't
I guess they front
That's why I know my life is out of luck ... fool

Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me ...

Transcripts of Sound bytes from the past...

2007-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

-yeh akashwani hai, ab aap Anadi Mishr sey samachar suniye (All India Radio).

-Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeendalium key barthannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn(Street vendor selling Hindalium utensils).

-Joh OK saabun sey nahayeeeeeeee kamal sa khil jayeeeee( Jingle for "OK" bathing soap).

- Tandoorusti ki rakhsha karta hai lifebouy,lifebouy hai jahan tanoorusti hai wahan( Jingle for Lifebuoy- another bathing soap).

- Daanton ko sadne se bachata hai colgate, din bhar sans ki badboo hatatha hai colgate( Jingle for Colgate toothpaste).

-Arre Mutthi bhar aatta dila dey raam, deney waale siri bhagawan
aatta roti dila dey raam, deney walle siri bhagawan (this haunts me.....two lepers begging for food in our neighborhood, the husband would pull a makeshift wagon on which his wife is perched..God bless their souls).

- Modi ke matwaley raahi. Nit naye khatron sey takrane waale, mushkilon mey bhi muskurane waley, jinda dil, manchale matwallon ki acchoota karnamma( Jingle for Modi Continental tires).

-Sainyya bhool na jaana, Potass khaad lana..kaise bhoolun usko, usney banaya mujhko, potass khadd lavoon, achhi fasal ugaoon( this is hilarious...jingle for a fertilizer).

- Bhakti sangeet ka karyakram-----vandanvaar(Introduction to Devotional songs at 7.30 am on AIR).

-Aaapka apna chunav chinh...Gaaay bachda, gareebon ka chunav chinh gaay bachda, gaay bachdey par mohar lagayyiyye or apne ummeedwar shri babulal gaur ko safal banayiyye( Congress Party volunteers canvassing for votes during election time for Babulal Gaur, I think he eventually became the Chief Minister or Governor of MP during the 80's.

-Peelo peelo mere yaar, thotha chhap ki beedi!( whenever I think of this I laugh my ass off....during Ram lila (Drama theater depicting story of Lord Rama) at the local temple, during intervals they used to play this jingle...obviously the Beedi ( cheap Indian cigarettes) makers were one of the main sponsors of the event.)

-Aap jaisa koi Nippo battery laye tho baat ban jaaye.....aaha bat ban jaaye ( jingle for Nippo batteries).

- Aakashavni...Warthakal vayikkunaathu Gopan. Beeharil Vellapokkam. Kendram Azhimathi sahikkukaillannu pradhana manthri Shrimati Indira Gandhi Chhoondikatti ( Malayalam News.. read by Gopan...Floods in Bihar, Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi pointed out that feds will not tolerate Corruption.)

Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahan hai?

2007-01-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

jinhe naaaz hain hind par....
yeh kooche yeh neelam ghar dilkashi ke
yeh lut te hue karwan zindagi ke
kahan hain kahan hai muhafiz khudi ke
jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hain
kahan hai kahan hai kahan hai

yeh kurpech galiyan yeh badnam baazar
yeh gumnaam rahi yeh sikkon ki jhankar
yeh ismat ke sauden yeh saudaun pe takrar
jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hain
kahan hai kahan hai kahan hai

yeh sadiyon si bekhwaab sehmi si galiyan
yeh masli huin ad khili zald galiyan
yeh bikti hui khokli rang raliyan
jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hain
kahan hai kahan hai kahan hai

woh ujle gareechon maian payal ki chan chan
thaki haari saanson pe table ki dhan dhan
woh ujle dareechon maian payal ki chan chan
thaki haari saanson pe table ki dhan dhan
yeh behrooh kamron me khansi ki than than
jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hain
kahan hai kahan hai kahan hai

Yeh Duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tho kya hai?

2007-01-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

ye mahalo, ye takhto, ye taajon kee duniyaan
ye insaan ke dushman samaajon kee duniyaan
ye daulat ke bhukhe rawaajon kee duniyaan
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

har yek jism ghaayal har yek ruh pyaasee
nigaaho mein ulazan dilon mein udaasee
ye duniyaan hain yaa aalama-ye-badahawaasee
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

jahaa yek khilaunaa hai, insaan kee hasatee
ye basatee hain murda paraston kee basatee
yahaa par to jeewan se maut sasatee
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

jawaanee bhatakatee hain badakaar ban kar
jawaan jism sajate hain baajaar banakar
yahaa pyaar hotaa hain wyaapaar banakar
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

ye duniyaan jahaa aadamee kuchh naheen hai
wafaa kuchh nahee, dosatee kuchh naheen hai
yahaa pyaar kee kadr hee kuchh naheen hai
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

jalaa do ise, foonk daalo ye duniyaan
mere saamane se hataa lo ye duniyaan
tumhaaree hain tum hee sanbhaalo ye duniyaan
ye duniyaan agar mil bhee jaaye to kyaa hai

Getting mad and dealing with it.

2006-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

For most part I am a sane person, using the God given wisdom, good judgment and sound education to make rational decisions. But on rare occasions, just like any other mortal being I get mad (angry). Now my question is to you, my dear reader: Is anger a rational emotion? Here is my reason to raise this question-

I got mad at my son for something really silly. It ended up being a lot of sobbing and crying and me feeling guilty. Especially because he was surprised by my outburst, normally calm and collected, trying to analyze and offering solution patiently... that is my style. On this occasion, I lost my cool and yelled at him, that took him by surprise and led him to believe that he did something really bad and I was angry at him, which was not the case. It took a few hours of consoling to make him understand that he was not a bad boy and he is still and always be loved by me and his mom.

Getting angry is for chumps!! Anger is not a rational emotion. Is that a true statement? When you are angry, you are out of control and cannot rationalize your actions. How or why does on get angry? Many of us direct our anger towards people we care for the most...like spouse......... kids..... parents...... why ? you have a situation at work, deadlines are approaching, project leader is hovering over you like a vulture, store clerk- where you buy your groceries... is rude to you, co passengers in the train are uncooperative.... all of these are bottled up inside and it comes out at the most inappropriate time against people you really care about and who will not retaliate if you vent. Once the episode is over, you hang your head in shame.... wonder why you did that... poor helpless kids, poor empathizing spouse who understands but is equally under pressure with his/her own problems.

Does education have anything to do with it? Can you rationalize better if you have a above average education? maybe....sometimes....? Is anger hereditary? ....a lifestyle? maybe you experienced a lot of anger and abuse from your parents and elders as a child, so you justify it as something that you grew up with, and continue the same practice?

How does one manage anger and frustration? Counting does not seem to help because you forget to count. Breathing exercises can help to a certain degree. Analyzing and talking aloud about the situation that is causing the anger can definitely help.If there are two parties involved, if one person gives in, the situation eases dramatically. A step by step approach is probably the best. Don't let it accumulate, if there is a situation, deal with it there and then, don't carry it and let it become a baggage. Easier said, than done!! Communication is the key, but it is difficult for 2 or more people to be on the same page all the time. Differences are bound to happen, and extreme differences lead to anger and frustration.

Anyways, if any of you would like to share any experiences or offer solutions.. Welcome!