Two good movies

After a long time did I watch two very good movies:

Being Cyrus: A black comedy/thriller in English, no songs, low budget yet brilliant cinematography, 1 -1/2 hour. Rare for Indian cinema! The story line revolves around the parsee Sethna family who live the typical middle class life in India. Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan - so hot!:) walks into their life and changes everything. What he is doing, and why, is not clear till the end; thats what makes the movie quite gripping, and the twist at the end is not anti-climax, unlike most Indian films. You laugh (at what you are not supposed to!) when the director wants you to, and you gasp when he wants you to aswell; truly dark and freaky in that sense.

Another thing that is super about this film is that every character is so well defined by the actors playing those roles: From the podgy, illiterate police inspector Lovely (Manoj Pahwa), to the 'bailu' (no balls), hot tempered yet hilarious Farookh Sethna (Boman Irani) and the adorable father (Honey Chhaya) who has been abused so terribly that you just want to hug him and take care of of him.

Dimple Kapadia plays the parsee tart wife of pothead Naseruddin Shah; unlike any character she has ever played and we will probably never see her play again :)

All in all very interesting and funny, yet creepy at the same time. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars!

Crash: Brilliantly depressing. But I mean that as a compliment! Demonstrates the epitomy of racial discrimination and irony. Too many coincidences in the film did make me feel a bit ' yikes' the world is small - but then again, it is isn't it. Also, you can't really go wrong with a cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillipe.

Also 4 1/2 stars :) But be ready for some serious stuff before you walk into this one!

How to shit around the world

I know a couple of people I could gift this book to :)

Human Clock

Spend 5 minutes on this website, its really cool.

"Humanclock.com shows a photograph of the current time, with the photo changing every minute of the day (all 1,440 occuring minutes on Earth!). How the time is actually displayed is a whole different matter. A lot of photos have the time written on a crummy cardboard sign, while other photos might have the current time in a more edible format, such as olives. There are photos below sea level and ones over two miles above sea level. There are even clock pictures with people who played at Woodstock."

Low fat, German, coffee chocolate bars

Yuck. Do not ever buy these. They are the father of gross.

Who are your 'powerful' lot?

India Today's latest issue defines powerful people as those:
- Who's wealth influences society
- Who have powerful friends who can help
- Who have unique knowledge or skills which makes them power icons
- Who happen to be in the right place at the right time
- Who people listen to
- Who you do not want to get on the wrong side of
- Who have credibility

The 50 people listed in the article, to no surprise, included the likes of: Rahul Bajaj, Sania Mirza, Sharukh Khan, MF Hussein, Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachan and Kumar Mangalam Birla to name a few.

Was good to see Shabana Azmi / Javed Akhtar + Prannoy Roy in the list too.

However, these people are far out of reach to most of us. They are up there on a pedestal. They have a certain intangible awe about them that we may never have the chance to experience.

So, in perspective of my own realm, 'powerful people' who have managed to shake things a bit in my world are:

My mum and dad:
Who have unknowingly touched so many lives by tirelessly going out on a limb to help anyone in need, not expecting anything in return. They are the true personification of 'selflessness'. I couldn't have had a more fulfilling upbringing.

Vikram Hazra:
A friend who has dedicated his life to making a difference in the world, and has an absolute blast doing it!

Newley Purnell:
Don't know him personally, but he has helped me realise the meaning ' the world is your oyster' in its true sense. (Newley - don't link this to your blog like you did last time! :)

Joseph Ghossoub and Sunil John:
Two communication guru's of the Middle East who I have had the privilege of working for, for almost 5 years now. Under their wing I have learnt everything I know about effective communication and it's impact on businesses and society.

Sam Ahmed:
Someone who never failed to touch the sky in whatever he does. Creative head of Y&R in the Middle East, although I have never had the opportunity to work with him, has always walked into my life when I've needed a push in the right direction. Has helped me believe (from his example) that you can achieve anything you want - a much needed dose from time to time! (Unfortunatley can't find anything to link to this!)

Shirin Venkat:
A family friend who is currently walking 2,400km across India in an intense effort to create a wave of awakening among the rural population with regard to their own health, by educating them on how to prevent maternal mortality that kills 300 women everyday in India.

Jimmy Sirhi:
Tireless promoter of 'spreading love through salsa' in the UAE :) who's smile, warmth and lead is contagious!
(Sorry Jimmy, could'nt find a better pic!)

Ofcourse these aren't the only people who have effected my life - but definitly the most current.
Who are your 'powerful' lot?

Blogstipation: Phase 2

*sigh*

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by Moryarti - am tagging on! :)

Four jobs that I’ve had:-
Film/radio production assistant
Kodak sales girl for Dubai Shopping Festival
Promotion girl for Philip Morris
Advertising executive

Four movies that I could watch over and over:-
Grease
Dance with me
Sound of Music
Mary Poppins
Aladdin! (Could'nt leave this one out!)

Four places I’ve lived in:-
Taunton, UK
Aurangabad, India
Wollongong, Australia
Dubai, UAE

Four TV shows that I like:-
The Practice
Sex and the City
24
Friends

Four places where I’ve vacationed:-
Havana, Cuba
Negril, Jamaica
Portugal
Thailand

Four of my favorite dishes:-
Anything Thai!
Prawns with garlic in olive oil
Pani Puri (an Indian street dish that I can't explain and do justice to at the same time! :)
Shawarma (meat, lettuce, french fries, garlic sauce wrapped in Arabic bread with tahina and hommous)

Four sites that I visit daily:-
www.rediff.com
www.bloglines.com
www.bbc.co.uk
www.news.google.com

Four Books that I’ve read lately:
Thailand Confidential - Jerry Hopkins
Vagabonding - Rolf Potts
Eleven Minutes - Paolo Coelho
The Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

Four Bloggers that I’m going to tag with this:
My brother
Newley
Scaleable Deficit
Rolf Potts

Sorry guys .. but the show must go on :)