The Blind Side - John Lee Hancock

The Blind Side, directed by John Lee Hancock, can be seen as one of these things - 1. a feel-good movie with a hidden agenda seeking to convince everyone that everything turns out just right in the end; 2. a feel-good movie that will definitely bring out the cynic in every person that doesn't fall for that lie; and 3. a hidden racist comment that white people are the only ones that can rehabilitate and redeem all the colored people in the world! 

But here is where the movie shocks and stuns - The Blind Side is NONE of these things, because it is literally a true story!!! Yes, people actually did all the things that the director claims they did in the movie!

Based on the book on the same, The Blind Side is the story of the Touhys, and especially Leigh Ann Touhy, a southern lady from a very affluent family, and Michael Oher, the Afro-American boy that they lovingly take into their family. Okay, hold the cynicism, let me finish. 

Douchebaggery as an Art Form: V S Naipaul Excels!

V.S. Naipaul has been a constant source of irritation and disgust for me for a very long time. I know these are really harsh, one-sided and disproportionate words to use on an individual, that too a literary figure like Naipaul. However, the man has no qualms shooting his mouth off, and I am just returning his favor! 

So, Vee Ess Naipaul, first of all, dude, not loving your name... Hard to pronounce, and harder to type.

Second, I had to read your hot-air for a couple of Indian Writing papers in college, and I fell asleep in every class. I mean EVERY. CLASS. Man, why can't you be even a degree more interesting than you are?! Seriously, is that too much to ask? For crying out loud, you get published  for this crap.. at least make an effort!!

Thirdly, dear fellow, I get it - you don't like India.  You can't stand the dirty water running down streets, you detest the hypocrites, and you are sure that all Indians have 'slave mentality'. That's fine. Now move on.... You have not lived here. In fact, you don't belong here. Just because you have Indian ancestry in your blood, does not mean you get to say mean things about us. Go say something mean about someone else for a change, huh?! Get over yourself, seriously!

Fourth in a series of rants that is pure catharsis right now, is the fact that Mr.Naipaul, you, in general, are a douchebag. Wikipedia says so (dear reader, go directly to the 'Personal Life' section. That's the good (bad) stuff!), your former friend reiterates, and you sir, most certainly proved it!

Dear Reader, here is the entire text of the last article that I have mentioned. This one appeared in Guardian (a UK newspaper) and I simply couldn't believe what I was reading!

VS Naipaul finds no woman writer his literary match – not even Jane Austen

VS Naipaul, no stranger to literary spats and rows, has done it again. This time, the winner of the Nobel prize for literature has lashed out at female authors, saying there is no woman writer whom he considers his equal – and singling out Jane Austen for particular criticism.

In an interview at the Royal Geographic Society on Tuesday about his career, Naipaul, who has been described as the "greatest living writer of English prose", was asked if he considered any woman writer his literary match. He replied: "I don't think so." Of Austen he said he "couldn't possibly share her sentimental ambitions, her sentimental sense of the world".
He felt that women writers were "quite different". He said: "I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me."
The author, who was born in Trinidad, said this was because of women's "sentimentality, the narrow view of the world". "And inevitably for a woman, she is not a complete master of a house, so that comes over in her writing too," he said.
He added: "My publisher, who was so good as a taster and editor, when she became a writer, lo and behold, it was all this feminine tosh. I don't mean this in any unkind way."
The criticism from the author is unsurprising. Naipaul is no stranger to criticism. In the past Naipaul has criticised India's top female authors for their "banality" on the topic he is best known for writing about, the legacy of British colonialism.
He also had a long-running feud with US travel writer and author Paul Theroux.
Their 30-year friendship came to a sudden end, after Theroux discovered that a book he gave Naipaul had been put on sale for £916. The comments were dismissed by the Writers Guild of Great Britain, which said it would not "waste its breath on them". Literary journalist Alex Clark said: "Is he really saying that writers such as Hilary Mantel, AS Byatt, Iris Murdoch are sentimental or write feminine tosh?"
Literary critic Helen Brown described them as "arrogant, attention-seeking".He should heed the words of George Eliot – a female writer – whose works have had a far more profound impact on world culture than his."

Mr.Naipaul, women are awesome writers too! Just because you can't control your envy, and can't fade off gracefully, does not mean you belittle others. In your own words, "Take it on the chin, and move on."

Yep. He does have a general air of douche-ness around him!

You Searched for THAT and found ME???

So, I was looking at my blog stats just now, and found this:

Wait...what?!

oh yeahhh.... that's me. 'Tirunelveli tamil teen girl blogger profiles'. Yep. That would be an exact description of me.
Uh! 'teen' it seems. Thanks a lot. Now I feel the youth coming back to my bones....

On a side note, what the hell sort of search term is 'and where i usually would'?? ! Someone dissect that for me please?

Poem: Street food...

Written on 27 April 2011

Street food...

"... Is unhygienic, uncovered, and unappetizing",
Said mother, piling a mountain of rice
Onto a plate already sagging
Under the weight of healthily boring home-cooked food.
Grumbling, sniffing, dipping fingers in gingerly
I question...
"Why can't I have a snack instead?"

Crisp samosas are the best.
Waiting near the familiar heat of food
Sizzling in hot oil,
Eying the one that you will choose
If you had a choice,
Peering into the cart
At sauces and spices,
Making a mental note -
'Remember to ask for
The sweet and sour sauce.'

Jaws clench at the tangy thought
Of salted gooseberries
That bring back memories of
Dead-broke college days,
When a rupee earned you a bag of those sour gems
That set the saliva flowing 10 years later!

Corn on the cob
Luscious, spicy and crunchy
Satisfy the sharp hunger that comes
From trudging up the lanes
Of little towns on hill stations
In search of the perfect bargain
On a thick woolen sweater.

Ice cream in a park -
Dripping water and icicles that takes the place
Of real cream and flavor,
Cold chunks breaking off
Onto tongues,
Causing brain-freeze
And the rush of guilty pleasures
That mother would scorn at.

Vadais are good too.
Crisp exterior giving way
To warm dough and stray chilli bits,
The accompaniments as beckoning and cozy
As the kitchen at home...

The kitchen. Where mother
Would always have food on the table,
A soothing word
A listening ear
A tearing eye
A smiling face
For me, the wayward child,
Who ate too much street food...

No One Killed Jessica - Raj Kumar Gupta

"No One Killed Jessica" read the headlines of The Times of India newspaper, on 22 February 2006. The entire nation did a double-take when it realized that what should have been an open-shut case was now one of the most shocking testimonies to corruption and double-standards in politics and the justice system.

The case in question was the murder of Jessica Lall, an aspiring model and part-time bartender in New Delhi. One a particular night, 3 men had walked into the bar she worked in. One of them was Manu Sharma, the son of Venod Sharma (a wealthy Congress politician in Haryana). He demanded for a drink at 2:00am when the bar was all out of liquor. When Jessica refused to give him a drink saying that they were all out, in a fit of rage and as a foolish dare, Manu Sharma shot Jessica Lall point blank in the temple. Jessica's sister Sabrina Lall fought for justice for almost a decade, and was sure that the three eye witnesses (one of whom was her sister's close friend) would definitely testify favorably. Instead, tables were turned unexpectedly when all three eye witnesses said they did not see a thing! It later became apparent that the aforementioned politician had bribed all three witnesses to lie in court.

Following the trial, the newspaper headlines read "No One Killed Jessica", and the accused were acquitted based on insufficient evidence. You can read the full story and details of the trial in this Wikipedia entry. It was only through the inquisitive reporting of Tehelka that the real story emerged and Manu Sharma was later sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2006 by the High Court. He has tried to appeal further but with no avail.

Rani Mukherji as Meera Gaity in No One Killed Jessica

The movie No One Killed Jessica is a thrilling and close-to-truth portrayal of this true story. It is the story  of the fight for justice of the brave sister Sabrina Lall and the daring reporters who unearthed the true story and released damning evidence. Vidya Balan does a great job as Sabrina Lall. It is nice to see the actress minus her seductive temptress makeup and body language. Frankly, I was beginning to suspect that that was all Vidya Balan could do! I think she looks better in the down-played ponytail, the cute t-shirts and ubiquitous glasses than in the over-the-top wardrobe choices that usually mar her performances in other movies. She looks nice in 'simple'. 

Rani Mukherji, as Meera Gaity the journalist, delivers whatever was asked of her, I think. Someone told her to be an obnoxious, foul-mouthed journalist who doesn't follow the rules, and she is being that. I think they could have taken the 'I'm-a-badass-journalist' a notch down and made her into a more realistic character that the audience can relate to. 

Vidya Balan as Sabrina Lall in No One Killed Jessica

I loved the scene where Meera confronts Sabrina about fighting one more battle for 'Justice for Jessica'. Sabrina has given up on things, and is all cynical about the law and the justice system. It is at this point that Meera approaches her saying that there is a chance for justice since the public is involved and now the courts have to do something. When Sabrina refuses to cooperate, Meera berates her. The scene is powerful and really brings home the strength of well-played journalism.

The movie is a brave attempt. Dissing politicians is not a new thing in Bollywood, whereas relying on a an entirely female main cast is another risk altogether! Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji take up the challenge well, and do justice to their roles. The story is fast paced enough to keep interest going, and deliberate enough to place all the key points of the story where they should be. 

A good watch if you're into political and crime thrillers or a fan of Rani Mukherji. 

Watch the official trailer of No One Killed Jessica:

My Trip Back Home to Beautiful Kerala - April 2011

As you all already know, Debbie was with my mom for the past week and half. So, last weekend we took a quick trip back to my home town to bring Debbie back. I would have loved to have spent longer in Kerala, but all we could squeeze in was the weekend. So, I just want to tell you all how it felt to go back home after more than a year...

If someone asks me where I'm from, I usually find it very hard to answer. My mom's and dad's forefathers are from various parts of Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari district. However, my dad was born in Chennai, and lived there all his life. My mom was born in Kerala  in the Idukki district, and called it home. I lived almost all of my life in Dubai, and that is the only place that finds a place in 90% of my childhood memories. So when I finally came to India and people would ask me where I'm from, I just couldn't answer. I couldn't very well say that my hometown is Dubai, because I am not a citizen, and I no longer live there. I also could not mention any of the four places I have already mentioned in this paragraph, because I was not really familiar with them.

It's only since graduating college have I started telling people that my hometown is Idukki district in Kerala, because I have family there that I love and my family home is situated there since it is where my father preferred to settle down. Also, now the place is even more special because that is where my father has been laid to rest.

So, after more than a year, I went back to this little town called Vandiperiyar in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is a beautiful, cool, green and breathtaking hill station on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. It takes us around 10 hours, traveling in a very badly furnished bus to get to this little paradise, but the sore back and the sleepless night in a bus is totally worth it. Allow me to show you why... (this is going to be a little long-winded so brace yourself...)

Traveling to Vandiperiyar

Taking a route through Theni, Rajapalayam, Kumbum, you reach the Kumily hills, which is a 15 minute slow and deliberate ride along a winding and precarious path that hugs the hill... On the way, you will see a deep forest with exotic trees, lots of monkeys, and beautiful streams and water falls that fill the air with the smell of a healthy and well-balanced environment. There is no place for pollution of any kind or buildings of any shape, save the two little temples at various points on the road - one for Hindus and another for Christians. 

What you see below is the rise of a grand mountain that abounds with greenery of all kinds. 

These are not the most professional shots, but then we had bright sunlight and a very shaky bus ride to deal with...

Dense forest with really old trees

Going uphill, you suddenly come across these huge pipes. At the very top is a water turbine in a power plant. Kumily houses the MullaiPeriyar dam, a great reservoir that is the primary source of most of the electricity generated in the plains below. Kumily also has the famous Thekady dam. I wish I could show you pictures, but we didn't get to go there this weekend. We will in the future, and when we do, I will show you pictures of the beautiful lake.

They don't look that large here, but they are really huge and imposing!

Along the way, you will see really old bamboo trees that stand in clusters. If you were to venture into this patch of bamboo I really doubt you would be able to get back out again without your limbs getting hopelessly tangled in this!

The road is narrow and winding, with many hairpin bends. When there is another vehicle coming in the opposite direction, usually one has to come to a complete standstill to let the other pass. Many times, large vehicles have to back up all the way to a wider part of the road to let the other vehicle pass. If you look down the side of the mountain, your head will spin from the sheer drop down!

This winding action is seen pretty much throughout the journey, all the way to my home, in fact!

Yes, we had to stop to let this bus go by...

Finally, after 15 minutes of something that resembles spinning around (a trip not for the light-headed, I must add!), we finally reach Kumily bus stand. This is the very border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The road we saw till now actually belongs to the Tamil Nadu jurisdiction, but the town on the hill belongs to Kerala. So, who has dibs on the mountain?! Heh! I have no idea! Anyway, Kumily bus stand is filled with the chatter of beautiful Malayalam (which I am no good at speaking, since my mother tongue is Tamil), and the whiff of banana chips fried in coconut oil, cardamom and black pepper... Kumily is a popular tourist spot and is most famous for the spices sold everywhere. You can buy the best quality of cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. But the area is most famous for its top quality tea. I don't buy any brand of tea since I get mine from here all the time.

The bus stand bordered with shops and hotels for tourists

The KSRTC - primary transport of almost all Keralites in this part of the world!

Just look at the red blossoms on that tree!

Here, we've got to take another bus that takes us to Vandiperiyar, where we have to take another bus, and then walk up approximately 150 steps, or spare ourself the heart attack, and take an auto all the way home. On the way, all you see is large expanses of tea fields (the main source of income for most everyone here), and trees with pepper climbers entwined around them... Like this...

It was a misty morning, the day we went. It was around 8am and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon. The thick rolls of leave that you see on these trees are the pepper plant climbers. The trees are usually used for firewood (which obviously people need a lot of!)

Looking up into the mist, over a carpet of tea bushes

The road you see here (another winding one) will take me to a higher hill where my home is situated!

These are women on their way to work. If you stick around, you will see them donning plastic capes and carrying huge gunny sacks, trudging up tea plantation hills, to pluck tea leaves.

This is a tea bush up close, but much prettier in person, I assure you! :)

Finally, I reach this beautiful house that I call home...

Who is that little girl? I'll tell you soon...

I have a lump in my throat every time I look at my house. My dad had it built a couple of years ago, and he did it with extreme love and concern for my mother. He made sure that the house was not too high above the road, since my mother can't walk up too many steps or a very steep pathway. He made sure that clay tiles were used on the floor, because marble or ceramic tiles get cold and my mom could get achy knees from walking on them. He made sure that the master bedroom, the bathrooms and the kitchen were all constructed in the way that would be most convenient for my mom... Even though my dad planned to spend his retirement relaxing in this nice home, my mom was worried that he never put in anything that he would particularly like. Little did we know that my dad would, in fact, not get to spend his days here. 

Sorry guys, I know I am not supposed to be getting all weepy and maudlin here. But looking at my home always makes me miss my dad, and I was just sharing my feelings with you. Anyway, Vandiperiyar is a beautiful quaint town, and my home is comfy. You are all welcome to come visit our little corner of the earth when you have the time... Just let me know first ok? :D

Okay, I promise, I'll be more bearable in the next post... where I tell you about that little girl in the picture, and all the lovely precious people I spent my weekend with.

Food for the brain and feast for the eyes - Internet fodder for You

So, Internet crawling should be called a legitimate hobby, because the gems we unearth sometimes are truly priceless! I came across some things that I simply have to share with you guys. Touching, thought-provoking and down-right weird, these stories and posts are Internet gold!

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind : This article is a list of questions, some familiar and some new, but all questions that will get you thinking. Asking you about the most important things in life, questioning the direction of your life, and the very need to slave at that job that you so hate!

Some questions that really got me thinking:

1. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

2. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

3. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

4. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

5. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?

6. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

7. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

I can't say I have an answer, but when I'm old with lots of gray hair, and a dozen grandchildren milling around me, I hope I have a clue... :)  I do have the answer to question 6, though. It is quite evident in the sudden shortness of breath that I am now experiencing - a sure effect of trying to be aware of your breathing. Try it! The minute you become aware of your breathing, you can't breath... we homosapiens are weird, no?

Speaking of breathing, here are 7 Things You Won't Believe You're All Doing Wrong. Don't read this article if you are also eating, because apparently the first and foremost thing we have no clue how to do correctly, is orchestrate our bowel movements!! There. I have said it as euphemistically as possible without making you barf! So, after you're done with that sandwich or the slushie, gander into this link and read how we adults have no idea how to do things right! By the way, you'll soon find out that babies are ninjas when compared to us lesser mortals!

Even if you have never said a prayer in your entire life, no matter what God you pray to, or whether you believe that there is no such thing as the big Gee Oh Dee, the minute you have a child, you feel like you really need someone stronger on your side, helping you look after that infant when you can, and watching out for that rampant teenager when you can't. Even uproarious comics like Tina Fey feel the need to pray for the little person put into their care. Here is A Mother's Prayer for Her Child, by Tina Fey. Although I would definitely skip some of the church-unfriendly language when I talk to God, I think the sentiment of that prayer is my feelings exactly. The few hours I am away from Debbie are the most worry-filled hours of the day. When she went to stay at my mom's last week, I lay awake a couple of nights wondering whether she was eating well, having her bowel movements (Sigh....as you grow older or have kids, bowel movements seem to become more and more of a top priority!!), falling down too often and scraping her knee, being safe when she travels with my family...etc etc. The worry list, my friends, is endless. Fact of LIFE! This prayer, in the article, is one I could repeat everyday till I have grandkids.... Then, it's Debbie's turn.

Okay, enough with the heavy sentiments and the teary eyes! Now for some awesome Internet fodder that are totally deserving of a thousand email forwards!

Here is a story of how clever people can be! Hiding the Lockheed Plant during World War II. This is a story of how soldiers, during World War II, hid an entire geographical area (an aircraft plant) from the eyes of the enemy through an ingenious method. You won't believe what you are seeing, when you look at the pictures. I had to go back and read the article a second time to actually grasp the magic and genius of it all! Take a look.

Finally, I love pencil drawings. My brother ans sister do a mean drawing, and I have always envied their ability to create beauty with a pencil and paper. Me? I need water colors, brushes and high quality paper to create my art. I am high maintenance, I guess...sigh. Anyway, my husband is really good with a camera. He takes the most breathtaking pictures I have ever seen. His specialty is nature. Put him behind a camera lens, and I don't even think you need to feed him! Hence the clash of the high and low maintenance groups! So, when I found this article that merges pencil drawings and photography, I was enamored. This is some really clever stuff - Incredibly Creative Pencil Drawings vs. Photography. Enjoy!

These links are courtesy Stumbleupon - another really clever thingy on the WWW!