Rang De Basanti

The movie is good. I bet it will be the first superhit of the year. I just would have liked it more if they had stuck to the one struggle in the movie and not made it into a system catharsis.
I happened to see a movie 'John Q' on DVD. John Q was never released to the theatres but was a made for DVD. So clearly it is a low budget, designed for specific audience type movie. It is about an ordinary family and their son who has some kind of heart disease and needs a donor heart. The father (D.Washington) manages the money for the surgery and the organ with great difficulty. And then its a matter of getting on top of the hospital's priority list. The hospital obviously is manipulative of this list. It is a list of who can donate more to the hospital rather than who needs the donor organ most. So to get his son on the top of the list the father takes the hospital hostage. The good thing about this movie, which btw is a true story, is that it stuck to a single point agenda- the struggle of the character. It did point out the flaws in the system but never digressed from the main plot. This is what RDB lacked.
I would say it is worth watching the movie once. Just about ok to watch it on video for a second viewing. Definitely not worth watching in theatre for the second time. But who am I to suggest. There are nerds among a billion people who would just do that! (and BTW make it a superhit).

Just not worth my money!

I was very much excited about the prospects of yet another thrilling series between the arch rivals. But the feather beds prepared for the first two tests have dampened my enthusiasm to a great deal. I was even thinking of buying the online streaming of the matches but was glad that I practiced restrain. Phew!
Now it is going to be that 'one' session where either Viru runs bersurk or Shoaib steams our batting lineup. Either of the situation is not a great one. We don't want a great series to be decided in a session. We want to see battles and counterattacks. Like we had in 2004 and 2001 with the Austrailians. I have no interest in watching academic records being written all over the place. Just not worth my money!

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

It is the fear of Friday the 13th. I am not superstitious enough to be fretting about it. In fact I had a very good friday. At work and in personal life. I had unscheduled good news at $work$. And my parents liked the cauliflower vegatable. The Teddy bear was also liked. So was the bunch of roses. So the Friday went off reaallly well!

Registration sticker

Well well. I have been lucky for the past one month for not having been ticketed. Not that I was speeding big time. But I was driving around in an unregistered car.
Usually they mail you the renewal notice every time before the registration sticker expires. I did not get mine. So I went over to the office and told them what had happened. I had not receieved the notice since I moved from my old address and the novel people who still occupy the place did not bother to forward the mail. They thought trashcans serve the same purpose!

Anyway the point I was getting at was that the process of getting a new sticker was painless. No forms to be filled up. No massaging the ranks. No nothing. They just need proof that the vehicle is in your name, the VIN and insurance card. And they don't even need a copy. They just need to see them. And thats it. Your vehicle becomes registered in 2 minutes. Its the same with filling up tax forms. 1 hour sit down and you are done. Ditto with every process and every dam forms you fill up. I also learned at work that anything that goes above one 1-sided page needs further refining. Wow! I pretty well remember the hassles back home for any form we fill up. Be it the drivers license or the passport or admissions or taxes. I think many people delay tasks because the forms are too tidious and require thousands of supporting documents. Some of the documents asked are kind of void. For example they ask for a birth certificate for admissions to the junior college when the DOB is printed on the SSC marks certificate. Imagine what we could achieve if we make the system easier. I think that all form should be made such that a high school graduate should be able to understand and fill it up with minimal effort. Thats when we take the pain out of the process!!

New Years

I have been on the move for the past two weekends. Dallas it was this time. One of my friends was heading back to 'desh'. For good. And the good thing about his move was that he made the decision while he had everything here. Which goes on to say that he really wanted to go.

I always felt that I would go home one day. I felt it when I stood before the visa officer and still feel the same. Some say that you got to go where you have oppurtunities. True. To the last word. But I guess oppurtunities or not the very feeling of being at home is sufficient for me. I came to the US when the software bubble had busted and the job market was really really slow. I cared to study Industrial Engineering when getting a job was as good as meeting God for an IE. So why should I be afraid if there are limited oppurtunities at home. I will find the best in them and move forward.

Rough draft plan says I will start packing in about 5 years. Could be earlier.
Recently saw "Munich" the movie by Spielberg. When Avner speaks to a PLO activist about their fight against Israel, he says that it is all for having a home which they can call their own. I already have a home. All I need is to be there and enjoy.