Bengaluru Diary III

The Second day of my Sojourn at Bengaluru saw me wake up very late at 10 am and do nothing but idling all the time! Those Friends are to blame who had to attend Office on a Balmy Friday, inspite of their Friend taking a Holiday to Visit them!!! Very Inconsiderate!!!!

No Issues though…work is worship for them and I understand it…..! So I was Lonely all the morning and did nothing xcept gorge on some really delicious Sambhar n Idli and hot n fluffy Set Dosas at a canteen nearby! Radio City 91 FM was my companion for the entire afternoon and that was more than enough to lull me into a gentle yet deep slumber! Lunch was soon forgotten amidst the slumber and only a Plum cake that was leftover from the night before was my fill for the day. The day came alive at 6 PM in the evening when I started for the most (un)happening place in da city—Da Forum Mall!!!

Sharp at 6:30 PM, I landed at the North Gate of the Forum Mall and had a quick recce of the surroundings to see whether my friends had arrived before me……but hey! can there be anyone more punctual than me!! No way…..So….I was all alone and to rid of the boredom I wormed myself into the Reliance WebWorld.A Quick Recharge and I was up n running…..A half-an-hour later, I realised that these guys are Late and i stormed out and was lying in wait for them! Then….My agile ears picked up my name being announced over the PAS and to my surprise, it was a message for me saying that my friend was waiting for me at the South Side Entrance!!! Of all the Damned cheek! After Telling me to wait at the North gate, he lay in wait for me at the South Side!!! Totally Unrprofessional & unwarranted!!! A few apologies later, some other very special friends too made their appearance and we all nestled ourselves into the cosy ambience of McDonald’s! After grabbing some quick Tikkas & Wraps n Colas & Ice Creams…..It was time to say bye to the Early-to-Home kinda friends and we the nonchalants roamed all around the Mall, eyeing quite a lot of PYT’s on the way……;-)

Now, any visit to the Forum Mall is incomplete without a visit to the PVR Cinemas. Not that we expected to get tickets on a busy weekend, but nevertheless, a glance ain’t gonna cost us money, would it?

A few glances later…we spotted yet another friend and now it was time for us to have a really filling Dinner over at Transit!It was one Food Court which had a multitude of offerings….and we grabbed ’em with both hands. Chinese, Thai, Mughlai & South Indian were the choices and we utterly relished them! Washed all that food down with some Cool Drinks and some Ice Cream to Boot! Before long, It was time to return home and we ended up paying a hefty 100 bucks to the auto even though the time was not past 9:30!!! In that regard and also because of the F’ed up roads, Bangalore lags behind other cities like Hyderabad & Pune & even Mumbai! For a visitor while it can be so Harrowing, I can Imagine the plight for Bangaloreites…many of whom may have resigned to the fact that itz not gonna improve and jus’ leave it at that with a sigh!!!

Only one more day to go for my stay in Bangalore and i am not gonna do anything but relazz at home!!! Period.

Bengaluru Diary II

After Yakking about old days and other umpteen things, it was time to regale my quite-an-healthy appetite and This time I was not Gonna get conned into going to one of the numerous ‘Sagar’s that seem to have sprung up in every nook & cranny of Bangalore.

So off we went to a ‘Hatke’ place called….hold your Breath!!! Chandni Chowk!!! “Chandni Chowk? In Bangalore? Thatz a really prepostorous suggestion” you might exclaim…but wait! It ain’t a marketplace like its namesake in Delhi…but a Small eatery in Koramangala thatz named after its more popular cousin up North! The ‘eatery’ is more of a Dhaba! Heck! It IS a Dhaba…….As you enter into its dimly lit corridors, you can hear the sound of gravel crunching beneath your afeet and as you glance down, you’ll find that the entire floor is nothing but gravel,rocks & sand!!! And teh most interesting part is….the Tables & chairs are all made of……..Rock!!!! Nothing but stone slabs!!! There are some cushions though, for those with a err…..weak bottom!!Ambience was a bit ‘plastic’ i.e they ‘tried’ pretty hard to get a rustic sorta ambience but failed miserably! Music blaring through earthen pots, posters adorning the walls, even table mats of Film posters doesn’t quite gel into the Dhaba look & feel!

Food was Good……’twas spicy yet tangy and was extremely Palatable. Some of the Breads were a bit oily though! The cuisine is essentially Punjabi with lotsa Tandoor delicacies and dishes. Reading the menu will raise few giggles as the ehadings are given as ‘Soup-Woup’ ‘Sabji-Wabji’,’Roti-Shoti’ etc…..quite appropriate,considering the fact that most of us head out to a hotel and generally yakk about having some roti-shoti-sabji-wabji!!! Cost is pretty moderate, though the sweets are priced as if they were bought directly from Chandni Chowk,Delhi!!! 48 bucks for two pieces of GulabJamun is daylight Robbery!!! All in all a nice place to go maybe once in 2 months. More advantageous for those who love Non-Veg and have a voracious Appetite! A meal for four would cost somewhere in the range of 600-800.

P.S: You Might want to catch this Rediff Review and this one on Mouthshut.

Address:

Chandni Chowk
Next to National Games Village
Koramangala
Bangalore — 560 067

Bengaluru Diary I

Me is finally in Bangalore…oops! Bengaluru….after much Dilly-Dallying.Most of my Friends & batchmates have settled in Bangalore and they had been raving and ranting about me not paying them a cursory visit! Its another matter that during the past year, none of them have managed to come to Hyd atleast once :humph:

So here i am, in the ‘city-of-boiled-beans’ as one of my friends chose to call it 🙂 . Journey was pretty comfortable, in the confines of an APSRTC Garuda which sailed in smoothly into Majestic at 9 AM local time. I acted upon the ill-timed suggestion of my friend and boarded a BMTC bus…and in a matter of few minutes, I had realised that Life was indeed very cruel! From the comfy cosiness of a Volvo B7R to the rickety backseat of a BMTC bus was indeed a crashland situation for me !!! It safely deposited me at my destination, an hour later and I was in the Midst of my friends within no time. We reminesced about the good ol’ days and had a Jolly Great time altogether…….

The Diary will continue……..

Da “Zinda” Movie Review

Movie: Zinda

Venue: Prasadz Multiplex Screen 3

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, Celina Jaitley, Lara Dutta, Mahesh Manjrekar.

Got to watch the much-acclaimed Sanjay Gupta’s Next offering- Zinda.A remake of the korean hit ‘Oldboy’ ,Gupta indianises it to some extent so as ‘not’ to shock the moviegoers!

Not that the movie is not shocking as it is, but if you’ve known the real ending of Oldboy, then you’ll agree that changing the ending was the most sensible thing to do!Zinda is a stylishly made movie catering to a niche segment of the audience. It is certified A due to its gore content and some explicit dialogues. But that didn’t putoff the families & ladies from thronging Prasadz . Both Sanju & John enjoy a sizeable fan following and it wasn’t surprsing to see many ladies at the hall. Infact, my immediate neighbour was a PYT who kept closing her eyes at all the gore scenes and kept flinching at the terrible chills that Zinda had to offer 🙂

The Story Follows but lemme list out some of the gaping holes in the screenplay & the story:

• At the start, Mahesh refers Sanju to be richer than ‘Ambani-Bimbani’ . The year then is 1990. I don’t thnk Ambanis were as rich back then as they’re now!
• Bangkok is shown as a Software hub back in 1990! I seriousy doubt it!
• Jenny Singh (Lara Dutta) speaks in a heavy Punjabi accent at the start of her role, but that accent mysteriously disappears midway through and she speaks as an urbane lady thereafter :-0
• John Abraham says himself to be 35 years old at present. i.e when the revenge saga started, he was 21 years old and a multi-millionaire settled in bangkok with several companies in his name!!! Poppycock!!!
• John Abraham is 8 years Sanjay Dutt’s junior at school.That makes Sanjay Dutt & Mahesh 16 years old & in 12th standard. But Mahesh & Sanju’s other friends stay at school even after that!!!
• Lara Dutta’s Surname is Singh but her house is adorned with Jesus & Mary’s Portraits!!!
• Mahesh Manjrekar ‘Traces’ John’s Call to Jenny’s ‘Saamnewala Ghar’. What made John register his number at a Empty, tumbledown Ramshackle hut!!!
• In the above case, On learning that the number is Jenny’s ‘Saamnewala Ghar’ he runs out of the ‘Back’ and into the house across Bangkok’s Backwaters!!!
• How did Sanjay’s Daughter come to know of his number? How come she knows that this guy is her ‘Papa’? And when she is at ‘Home’ why did Raj Zutshi tell Sanjay that she is ‘Upar’…that too after having his hand cut off!!!
• John refers to his henchman as being with him for 18 years…i.e since he was 17. What was a Bangkok goon doing in India at that time? Maybe selling noodles somewhere 😉

These Inconsistencies apart, Zinda is a slickly made movie with a unique and new concept that is new to Bollywood. Though being a Revenge drama, the way in which the revenge is taken and the sheer pathos that it conveys is truly mesmerising. The color of the movie is a dull blue/sepia/brown tint which lends a sombre look to it. Bangkok as the backdrop is excellent and so are the locales of the torture chambers. The black color of the room is apt and conveys the gloom perfectly.

Performance-wise, this is an aout & out Sanjay Dutt’s movie. The role fits him to a T and I can think os no one else doing justice to the role more than Him. As the confused individual who has been held as a captive for an agonising 14 years, his acting is brlliant. John Abraham does not fit too well as a Psychotic Revenge-seeking suave businessman. His role in Aitbaar had a much darker mood to it than this. His Businessman tag was a bit over-the-top. Mahesh Manjrekar is okay altho his playing biliards with his friend’s enemy is inexplicable. Celina Jaitley has eactly 5 dialogues and Lara Dutta 10. Though Lara has a Lovemaking scene which looked straight outta Shabd, Sanju’s Tatoo & all!!!

The Movie’s full of Gore & blood and is surely not for the fainthearted! Some of the Violence is bone-chilling and Sanjay Dutt’s fight with 20 or so Chinkis with just a Hammer is well-executed. If i am not wrong, it was done in a single take, which makes it all the more brilliant. Sanjay F Gupta’s Camerawork is First rate. Songs have no scope in the move except for the background. The title song is good and so is the song by Strings. A well-made movie that would stand out as a ‘different’ movie but one which may not find acceptance across all stratas of movie-goers. Mostly the youth-and the male ones at that- will like it. Though some males who love SRK movies & turn squeamish at the sight of bllod are bound to keep away from it!!!

My Rating: ***

Coming to the Story

Crash!!! Bang!!! Wham!!! Moaannnnnn……..

My Oh My! This gotta be the nearest I had been to any Vehicle-Smash! And the worse part is that I was 'Inside' the vehicle that got smashed!!!

I was en route home from my escapades at Noodle Bar in an auto rickshaw and the bloke was driving at break-neck speed! At Maitrivanam Crossroads, the traffic came to a halt but our auto didn't! Its brakes gave way as we careened full-speed into another stationary autu at the signal! Thankfully, our aoutowallah had the presence of mind to ram our vehicle against the road-divider which reduced the impact coz of the friction; otherwise it would have been a far-more-serious incident! Poor bloke, the shock of it was too much for him and he passed out! Some fellow autowallahs took him to a clinic and now we hear he's Okay.

And we had a few cuts & bruises, that's all. The auto was a wreck,though! You can gauge the impact of the Collision when I say that the front wheel was 'Under' the body of the auto!!!

The View-From where I was Sitting!!!

Needed some Nerdy Noodles!!!

Yesterday saw myself and folks hunting out for a good place to have some great food.Being compulsive Veggies, the First place that we plumped for was Chutney's but after a bit of afterthought, and also because we were Lazy enuff to trudge all the way across from Hyderabad Central, we decided on giving the Restaurants on Ground Level of Central, a try.

We did some rapid shootout and zeroed in on Noodle Bar. Now, we were apprehensive that the Veggie fare would be very less but we were in for a pleasant surprise.Not only were there a wide range of culinary delights but also  very delectable choices also.

The ambience was not great but it was cosy. Most of the tables had benches with no reclining-type-chairs!!! So If you're looking for leaning around while eating/waiting,I'd suggest you wait for the side seats to be emptied! there are a wide range of starters, from the World's bet nachos to some spicy rolls & wontons. I'd recommend Double Corn with fried wontons as it is highly tasty as well as a good appetizer. Spring Rolls with Honey sauce would be the iDeal accompaniment 😉

If you're in the mood for some light meal, go for the Broths. Thy are an eclectic mix of soup with noodles & wholesome veggies and half-a-portion is enough for anyone with an appetite as voracious as mine!!! Otherwise you can try the Sizzlers that can be a pleasure to munch down. Soya Potato Sizzler is a good choice there! And since it has to live upto its name , there are five varieties of Noodles. And the interesting part is that you can choose your own Noodles dish (225 Bucks)! All one has to do is to select the toppings & sauces & accompaniments and the chef will whip it up for you! It's a steal if you are a bit choosy with your food! Then there are the Malaysian Satay style of curries that are pure delight! Topped with a decent helping of Coconut Milk & delicate cottage cheese, it is a Gastronomic delight. And after such a full meal, desserts are quite out of the question! Though I did  manage to squeeze in a Double-Scoop Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins situated right across it!
Pricing is okay and is not too hard on the pocket! Ambience is good. Service is decent though it can be improved. Locale is its USP. All in all, this is one Restaurant that I'd recommend to anyone on the lookout for some 'Different' chinese cuisine. People looking for Andhra-Style-Chinese can head over to Nanking 😉

Moi Desk……

I Installed WindowBlinds 5 after much deliberation, thinking that it would slow down my system very much,which I don’t like very much……

But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not that heavy on resources…..particularly if one got 512 MB of RAM 😉

And I downloaded some skins from WinCustomize (They have a helluva lot!) and the result was Oh-so-pleasing…….. Tho nowhere near the kinds that some people I know over at TDF churn out…….. But I’m happy in my own li’l way….

Screenie:

Windows Live Mail Invites……

TechBlabber carried a writeup on Windows Live Mail Invites, which I’m reproducing here without permission…….

http://messengerinvites.duanejeffers.com is giving out Windows Live Messenger Invites. You just need to submit your Passport ID.

Many people have got their invites within hours.

Update: DigitalFive http://digitalfive.org/?p=17 is also running Windows Live Messenger 8.0 Invitiation Super-giveaway!

EDIT:Digitalfive is no longer giving away invites.
There are some being given away here: http://neosmart.net/blog/archives/59

Many Thanks to Jack Shephard for pointing it out 😉

And from the same post, I got this piece by Mr.Shahab over at his blog, The AveX

Microsoft Live Mail Beta is out and the entry is by invitation only. With its fast and dynamic Ajaxed built, three paned interface, 2 GB account size and a lot more its the most sought after mail.

Are you the one who just cant wait to convert Hotmail into its new avatar ‘Kahuna’? Sadly the change can be done only by invitation. Many people who have applied in the official waiting list are waiting for months. I too got the official invitation some weeks back.

But heres a hack when enables you to transit to Kahuna all by yourself and without an invite. Follow the procedures strictly and you will have your Hotmail account converted to Mail Beta with a dynamic interface and a whopping 2 GB space.

1. Make sure you are using Ms Internet Explorer only and that too no less than version 6.

2. Make sure your profile address is of Uinted States.
To check login to your Hotmail account (use http://www.hotmail.com and not the link) then goto options>personal>Personal information
Change your name, location, and other personal information.
If your personal info has address other than USA then change it a US address.
Please note that if you dont change the address and follow the remaining steps then this Hack wont work.

3. Once done save and logout of hotmail. Then close the Internet Explorer Window.

4. Open a new Internet Explorer Window and use or paste the following URL in the address bar:
http://by101fd.bay101.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/BetaOptIn?
page=option&curmbox=00000000%2d0000%2d0000%2d0000
%2d000000000001&a=b9a426ebd4880ad9d14db4b4c55a69f8b
b8dea2282102422220030b2b6bb98c8

press enter and you will be taken to a regular hotmail login screen.

5. Login to your Hotmail account and once the page is loaded again paste the above link and press enter.

6. You will be taken to Beta Opt in page that which lists the new Mail Beta features and agreements with two buttons at the end of the page below i.e Join Mail Beta Button and No Thanks Button.

7. Click on the Join Mail Beta Button and wait …. your Hotmail account is converted to Mail Beta and then you are in your Inbox with the new interface.

Now your Hotmail ID is converted to its new advanced avatar kahuna.

This Hack is modified by me as it wasnt working for everyone and was orignally written by people at FastWallet.

Thanks to people like them, non-geeks can enjoy the privilege of ‘Trying Out’ such nifty ‘Betas’ released by the Biggies……Cheers to them! and may their Tribe Increase 😉