Friday 31 October 2008

Aamby Valley

Lonavala is such an exciting place now. All because of Aamby Valley. It is such a beautiful place. The ride to Aamby Valley was ghatwala, so was feeling a little giddy. But once you reach there, you know, it was way ahead worth it.

You drive in the gates as if you are entering a kingdom and feel so privileged because at any given time there are well-to-do hopefuls wanting to get in there but are not allowed as their name does not appear in the list of the gatekeepers.

Pa mentioned his name and the security guard checked whether there were only 4 persons in the car and let us in. As soon as we entered, the iron railing door closed and the guard asked us to follow the open jeep-like sexy thing. We followed gleefully and with eyes wide open.

The eyes were wide open and gawking for most part of the trip. Wow, the place is so beautiful. The way they have maintained it is absolutely amazing. Once in, you have everything for your entertainment, relaxation right from beach volleyball to reading in a well-stocked library.

The food is amazing, service prompt and helpful. The rooms were spanking clean and the bathroom was amazing. They had jacuzziiiiiiiii.......

In that 10,000 square feet of area, you have a beach area called lagoon, a fisherman's wharf, a 18-holes golf course, 3 swimming pools, 3 restaurants serving yummy food, gymnasium, club, lawn tennis, carrom, conference rooms, seminar rooms, auditorium, you name it and you have it.

2 days are just not enough. Even if you plan to stay indoors, you feel like royalty. We reached and my folks got ready to go see the place and when they knocked on my room door, i had nicely fallen asleep. :)

They woke me up forcibly at lunch hour which was at 1500 hours. Had a sumptuous meal and set out to check out the place. A sales manager showed us the entire model of the place. They had built villas and chalets Spanish and Victorian style of 1 acre and so on. The lowest range of holiday home costs a whopping Rs. 1.40 Crore.

The sheer luxury that you experience there makes you work hard and be able to afford it. There weren't too many visitors maybe because it was Diwali. But the place was fabulously lit up in the evenings.

There is this huge bridge there that acts as itself between the west and east side of the area. That bridge is absolutely stunning. Resembling the one that is in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam shown in the climax. Another highlight is the humongous Bharat Maa statue in the beginning. Absolutely astounding and gorgeous. Maa Tujhe Salaam!

We played golf, first time ever. There another family of 4 (Mother, father & 2 daughters) were trying their hand at it, just like us. We were smiling and laughing at each other's bloopers and supposed good shots :)The next day i was in the shower for almost an hour and a half, as if i hadn't taken bath since a week and ain't gonna for another week. :)

It was a lot of fun. This was the first time just the 4 of us had gone out but had good fun. If we had company, we would have taken up more activities. Nonetheless, good fun and a list of choicest adjectives for the visit.

Hoping to go there again and this time to actually buy a nice holiday home there. Amen!

Friday 24 October 2008

The feeling lingers on

Do i turn over a new leaf?
Or do i carry on as it is?
Am too lazy to change and unready to move away from my comfort zone.

Diwali is my favourite festival but the enthusiasm is distracted.
Have great plans too but right now am feeling low and confused and despaired and bleak.

i don't want responsibility, but i also want power.
Why does great power come with great responsibility and vice versa?

Outwardly it is all fine.
The lights are gleaming on my balcony grill but the inside is in turmoil.
Self-created one.

i am too ready to accept defeat and i hate myself for that.
Is this an attempt to seek sympathy and avoid change?
Seems quite likely.
Hate it more.

Hate, too strong a word.
Love, too distant.

In between i oscillate and exist.

Let this Diwali be the true warding-off-darkness types.

Monday 13 October 2008

An early morning movie experience

Hello world!
On Sunday, i watched the movie 'Hello'. And the show timing was 0800 hours. Yes, on a Sunday morning.

i didn't want to get up in the morning, but J made me get up. Got ready carelessly in a jiffy (whos gonna look at me at that hour :) Slept all through the ride to Sion Cinemax. Eyes testimony to my sleepy state, i trudged along with my sister into the cinema hall. To my surprise, there were quite a few early birds. Mostly, collegians having bunked their classes and tuitions, maybe keeping their folks at home in the dark :)

The ticket rates were pretty cheap - 60 bucks for each. How much do you think i would waste on a one star rating movie. And that was the main reason for the early morning movie outing. The refreshments counter were not open yet when we entered.

Ok, now about the movie -
Well, it is exactly like the book - One night @ the call center. Good message but mediocrely handled. The first half is interesting and enjoyable. You look forward to what happens next. The second half is very rushed and unreal. Just like the book, the end in the movie seems like it had to be finished hurriedly, mindlessly.

Sharman Joshi is brilliant. Gul Panag's talent is wasted with nothing much to do. Amrita looks cute and convincing in her role. Ishha Koppikar is okey-dokey. Sohail too is nice. The scenes are a little disjointed. The villain Dalip Tahil very easily and stupidly accepts defeat and leaves.

The movie could have been better with some slick direction, witty dialogues and good music. The treatment would have been the breaking point. But Atul Agnihotri did not use his mind and just blindly followed the book.

The underlying message of the book and the movie is very good. The four things - hardwork, imagination, self-confidence and failure - that can lead to success are absolutely true. Just that it is not presented in an impressive manner.

To win you have to overcome the fear of failure. Fear of failure is one factor that does not let you take flight with all you have. A very dear friend of mine had also told me the same thing a few days back. Seems like this is some kind of an omen for me.

The movie has a message and if you only take that message and ignore everything else, you can say that it is a good movie. Well, but you don't need to watch the movie for that. Just learning about the message is enough. Moreover, there is nothing new in the message too.

So, if you are free and hell-bent on watching any movie on a Sunday morning then go for it, just as i did (for my sister's sake though).

Saturday 11 October 2008

Why?

Why can i not have that one thing that i so dearly want?

Why can i not be happy and cheerful all the time?

Why is other people's behaviour affecting me?

Why is there no control over things?

Why can i not gel with the scheme of things?

Why do i feel the need to break out of the rut?

Why can't i give more?

Why am i not content with what i have now?

Why does life pose questions at me every now and then?

Why, is there such a thing called peace and calmness in me?
Absolutely!!!

Thursday 9 October 2008

Kid nap

i just came back after watching the movie 'Kidnap'. The kid Imraan Khan is the only saviour in the film. Otherwise it is all nap.

The plot is quite interesting but the treatment very shallow and manipulative. Manipulative because the team has used all the tactics to make the film a money minting instrument. Skimpy clothes, heroine coming out of the sea in a bikini and other such unwanted things are just forcefully added to draw viewers unconvincingly.

I wonder what was the producer or whoever's majboori to cast Vidya Malvade in the role of Minisha Lamba's mother. Needless to say, she doesn't look convincing. Not as Minisha's husband, not as Sanjay Dutt's wife. Minisha looks jaded. Not very comfortable in the bold clothes & all.

The story could have been keeping-you-on-the-edge types but Imran's childhood episode is not very effective and believable. The clues also are not very intriguing and intelligent.

Hmmm....i almost took a nap writing about it :)

my T-shirt

"i'm daddy's little angel"

That's the quote on my new T-shirt.
And i am so thrilled about it.

i am daddy's
i am little
i am an angel

Wow! i just love it soooooo much.

i thank the brand Honey for producing such a T-shirt.
i thank Pantaloons for keeping such merchandise.

i just walked in the store and saw this writing on the T-shirt, looked for the size XL and just bought it without even trying it.

Hey! Don't mind the size XL. i am still little :) :) :)

Come to think of it, these little things in life give you so much happiness.

Yey! i'm daddy's little angel!!!!

Wednesday 1 October 2008

(silently)

How do i feel now?
1. Restless
2. Tensed
3. Anxious
4. Scared
5. Introspective regards why am i feeling the way i am
6. Holding on to something that i can't have
7. Lesser individual
8. Burdensome

How do i want to feel?
1. Free, liberated
2. Inspired
3. Cheerful
4. Enthusiastic
5. Inspiring
6. Alive
7. Happy

i want to stop running, chasing.
i want to be me.
Nothing and nobody is stopping me but myself.
Maybe i know the way but am not sure what is not letting me move.