I recently received a forward titled ‘Dilbert’s one liners’. Normally, most forwarded emails are a big bore that are full of advice dished out by those who are incapable of following their own! But this one was different. It was refreshingly witty and had no bogus claims of bestowing great luck if was forwarded to hundred others. Truth that is definitely stranger than fiction was explicitly spelled out with divine simplicity. I have enlisted some of them which tickled me while the rest left me appreciating the author’s mental facilities.
When everything comes your way you're in the wrong lane.
The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train.
Born free, taxed to death.
Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.
Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking.
The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.
In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?
Hot glass looks same as cold glass. - Cunino's Law of Burnt Fingers
In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.
The cigarette does the smoking you are just the sucker.
Someday is not a day of the week
Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
And my all time FAVORITE
All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive, fattening or in love with someone else
This is my second "I hate something something" post. As a rule, I try not to vent out my frustration on this cyber space. Everyone has their own customized set of exasperations and I am actively trying not to add to it! But somethings just slip! So kindly pardon my ranting!
What is it with the world of sports? I know there are big bucks in it and all but what fun is there in watching someone else do it all? I do not mind watching these things occasionally but almost everyday? I am getting really tired of this basketball season. And I learned only just now that this season reoccurs every year... unlike the Olympics or world cups! Seriously wasn't tennis & cricket bad enough? Sigh! I was sorely disappointed... I was enduring this season and my only solace was the thought that the NBA would leave my world alone for the next 4 years! Now that this solace has been rudely taken away from me... I am left fuming... feel almost betrayed!
And after days of huffing and scowling, I gave up and joined the enemy. Now I don't detest the game... and it is more like a low throbbing pain that I can learn to live with! Currently, I can identify some of the stars and even sneak a peek when Kobe Bryant is playing or when Pierce and Lebron lock horns with each other. At this rate, this time next year, you might even find me at the bar cheering them on! Sigh... there goes my individuality!
Being a Dan Brown fan, I have tried to keep my bias from affecting this review. Inevitably it has seeped in and you may find traces of my prejudice mingling with my views!
Dan Brown has authored both Da Vinci Code and Angles & Demons (among many others) which have earned him worldwide renown. Both books delving into history of Christianity are controversial and have earned him considerable wrath despite them being declared as fiction. However even this notoriety did not stop the books from evolving as best sellers. Just goes to prove that there is no such thing as bad publicity!
Consequently, the movie Angels & Demons had enormous expectations owing to the Da Vinci Code’s success at the box office. The movie makers have shrewdly used the Da Vinci’s earlier release to their advantage and hence you will see its subtle references (that are rather derogatory) throughout Angels & Demons!
I do agree that to make the movie (Angels & Demons) and form a screenplay, the book definitely needed some editing and parts of it had to be rewritten. However, what annoyed me was the fact that the director/script writer (whoever was responsible for it) did not reveal the final twist to the story. Hence the movie Angels & Demons is actually a diplomatic version of the book.
Angels and Demons explores the world of the highest order in Christianity. The age old spat between science and religion is reexamined under new light. For centuries both idealists with contrasting ideas have waged wars in an attempt to inflict their notions on this world. This story once again narrates the clash between the two self claimed enemies’ - religious leaders and men of science.
The movie begins on a somber note following the Pope’s death. Under the pretext of retribution a powerful covert organization called the Illuminati threatens to destroy the Vatican City - the birth place of Christianity. This clandestine group that does not stop at murder plans to erase every memory of the City and disrupt the papal election that is ongoing in the aftermath of the Pope’s death. The lives of the Vatican citizens and the Swiss guards are at stake as they gather to pick their next leader.
Robert Langdon’s (played by Tom Hanks - the Harvard symbolgist form Da Vinci) expertise in symbology brings him to the Vatican City. His knowledge of the illuminati is put to test as he strives to save the unfortunate kidnapped victims. This movie focuses on the proceedings of the Vatican society and the sacred rituals and customs that follow the Pope’s death. It also features the coveted Vatican archives accessed by few and rumored to hold the greatest and oldest books in history. How accurate these depictions are I do not know. But considering the fact that Brown’s work is mostly fiction, I would assume that he has manipulated some of the facts.
I have always been fascinated by the Vatican City, an independent country located entirely inside Rome!! The idea of it being the smallest country is weird and interesting at the same time! The Vatican City which is the Pope’s residence is also famous otherwise for the Sistine Chapel and the legendary St. Peters Square. In addition to the gripping story, I went to watch this film hoping to catch more than just glimpses of the Vatican and ‘Roma’ with its captivating churches and numerous ruins. I was sorely disappointed as the director has cunningly filmed majority of his scenes inside churches & other buildings while focusing otherwise on Robert Langdon’s (Tom Hanks) hurried pursuits from one church to another. The fact that the director barely captures Rome’s spectacular beauty led me to speculate whether he had created sets of the original venues. A little research with Google told me what I already knew!
Coming back to the movie, I would say it is one of the longest English movies I have seen apart from the Lord of the Ring series. But this movie holds the attention of the audience till the very end. After all Brown who masterminded this chronicle is a brilliant story teller! In fact, I did not even miss the intermission which I sorely longed for when I watched ‘Ghajini’ (no intermission) here in the US.
In my opinion this movie comes real close to being as good as the book, something which very few other movies have achieved. Yet with the final twist intact in the book, it gains more points in contrast to the movie and still wins at my polls! So hurry up and issue that book from our library... all you have to do is read the last few pages to agree with me!
When it comes to curiosity..... I am completely useless. I do not possess an iota of self control and must, need, have to know things... at the earliest! Can barely put a book down before I have read from cover to cover! So while watching these 'tele-serials' (term coined by DD) I get intensely irritated as these highly annoying writers end the series on a secretive note... with an intention of making their viewers pine for more and all. But after their looooooooong break... when they return with the new season, I am almost lost at sea for the lack of continuity and hence lose interest!
This also goes for ending their episodes right when they are about to reveal something controversial. Honestly, is suspense the only trick you have to boost your ratings? Do you not possess any other talents to carry the weight of popularity? This also applies to movie writers who base their thrillers or crux of their suspense based on scenes that they do not reveal to the audience till the very end. These kind of writers do not have the power of good story telling nor script writing
So to series like Private Pratice .... you suck! And hate you for leaving us hanging in the air! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo to u!
Blogs are cyber gossip columns! They portray the most important facets of the author's world. Some are rather direct as they boldly list what is happening in the writer's personal world. Rest are less forward and have a peculiar way of emphasizing the author's life without betraying their reserved selves. But one way or the other, blogs do tell you things about their owners.
At times posts may reflect thoughts that cross the blogger's mind based on incidents they witnessed in the near past or based on thoughts jogged by nostalgia! Alternately, posts may also constitute opinionated pieces of work which spell the writer's notions that are often biased! Some others use this place to display their talents (photography, culinary skills, poetry) which once again speaks volumes about them! A bunch of us may also chose to inform the world about our adventures in forms of travelogues! After all this is a space meant for broadcasting individual selves! All in all... the blogging world presents a stage for the inner voice.... never a dull moment! :) Read on my friends! :)
What constitutes a secret? What causes man to generate them?
Is it motivated by a desire to hide all things dark and empty from the rest of the world to generate an illusion of superior indomitable form of oneself? Or is it motivated by fear or shame? Most importantly is it worth keeping it in spite of its ability to produce ulcers on the lining of your stomach (Dont ask... the ulcers issue is a very sensitive one for me!!?...something horrifying and completely avoidable!)
I have noticed that secrets are revealed at the most undesirable moments.... wrong times!! In fact I would like to quote that majority of the secrets ARE revealed... no matter who is keeping them.... very few of them go to the grave with the bearer. Truth is kinda annoying that way... it wheedles itself out! I am not talking about state secrets which all governments like to shield, but the mundane yet potent secrets of the everyday man. Which when revealed have him sputtering in rage or humiliation or for the particularly thick skinned ones, mocking the rest in disdain.... So the moral: If you do not want to have your secret revealed.... DO NOT HAVE ONE!!! :)
(Another) Disclaimer: This post is motivated by sheer boredom!
