Saving Face - Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec & Lynn Chen (my favourite)

Saw "Saving Face" today. I had caught a bit of it before on HBO but did not get to see it properly. Downloaded it. Fantastically funny and cute movie. It had me laughing in most places and smiling through the rest. IMDB describes the movie's plot as "A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations"

That description is correct. But before you tag it as just an other lesbian / gay movie. You should see it. I have not seen many gay / lesbian movies that I remember except for things Debbie did with her girlfriend in Dallas (good "movie" too).

I loved Saving Face.. it was different and sweet.

"Krishna Menon was a Bachelour, just like his father"

It was a comment from one of our Generals about the most infamous Minister of Defence that India has had. He was a bureaucrat, a diplomat and then the Minister of Defence. People who remember him remember as the most useless human being who got to stay and stand tall bcoz he knew how to kiss ass.

There are more like him in today's Congress. Old guys, who kindle familiarity and loyalty to The family, to stay in power. It is difficult to enumerate what they lack... there are far too many things wrong with them. Before signing off, I will list the number 1 in the list Character.

Congress (I am a congress voter) has to drop these guys before it can grow a spine to support it in the coming elections. Otherwise, it is screwed.. and this time for good.

BMTC - Par for the course

Took a Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) bus tour of the city. The BMTC offers a full day pass for Rs. 30/-. Wanted to see how much of the city, I could cover in about 8-10 hours. Not a bad service. Reached the International airport in about 1 hour 15 mins. The normal BMTC bus does not take you right upto the airport. It stops at along the main road from where they operate a shuttle buss service for R.10/- to the airport. Service is ok. But if you are carrying luggage you need to travel by the special and dedicated bus which cost upwards from Rs. 80/- and above with Taxi drop to the designated bus stops extra at Rs. 100/-. The airport is nice looking but dead. No crowd mostly empty. Unlike airports like Dubai international which sees a plane taking off every 3 minutes. BIAL does look like a middle airport though... sits alone is an open dusty land. High dusty winds finish the picture.

Took a total of 15 buses to cover BIAL, Majestic, Banshankri, Silk Board, K.R. Puram and White field. For those of you, who have not visited Bangalore, those points make up the major extremes of Bangalore. I did miss Kengeri (Bangalore University) in the south west corner. But I had already visited that place this week and there is not much to see there.

Point to note.. if you are at silk board never visit Total Mall. Badly placed and lousy maintenance and staff.

Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister

Broadband and Bittorrent are god given tools to overcome bad programming on Cable TV. Downloaded all the seasons of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. The show is one of the most brilliantly funny series to come from BBC. Paul Eddington plays the Minister / Prime Minister while Oscar nominated (for madness of King George) Nigel Hawthorne plays his Permanent Secretary.

I have read the books too. Books are funnier. They have got letters queries by the Minister in the margins and subsequent evasive and incomprehensible replies by the Secretary etc which reminded me about my own office and how closely the series recreates the way government functions.

I first saw this series when I was 10 years old, when I did not follow English very well. But I did manage to understand some of the jokes. Saw it again years later.. it blew me away.

It is still funnier than most sitcoms that are on TV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Minister

Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald

Read it over the week. An ok a book. Light reading. Written by an Australian Radio host about her stay and travels in India, while living with and marrying ABC's reporter. It is her account of her stay. Filled with some funny anecdotes and comments. Not an all together true account :) . Aah for that read V.S. Naipaul. If you can that is... A bit too honest .. he is a keen observer. Sarah on the other hand tries to be nice to every religion she meets in India and Pakistan. She is hard on Parsis and overly accommodating about others. I think she did not want to go into hiding like Salman Rushdie. Overall it is a travel account and lightly entertaining.

Indian leader fades away.. no one to take his place.

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw faded away. His "state funeral" was not attended by the head of state and our bureaucracy the President, not by our very well educated Prime Minister, not by the Service chiefs of an army which is fast turning into a branch of the administrative services, and not by senior members of the administrative services. The Field Marshal has led the nation and the army through some of the most crucial moments of the nation's history. He leaves no one to take his place.

Point to note :-
The former President Abdul Kalam had visited the Field Marshal in the hospital, when the later was admitted in 2005.

China, Communists and their dogs in India

Pardon my Chinese... but it is true. Chinese have let loose their dogs in India. The dogs do what they do best.. bark... Bark at anything. Spineless, godless and unpatriotic.. their bastions are Kerala and West Bengal, and the forested areas of Andhra and Central India. There are two types of red dogs. One is the public face aka Communist Party in different flavours that we see in the State Assemblies and Parliament and then the gun touting cadres in villages and forest who are driven by guilt that they never got to suck Chairman Mao's cock.

I am sorry that I spew here. But they are bastards. Neither of this country nor of their promised land. Communism as been proved to be the biggest lie of the 20th Century. Yet these bastards continue to screw the nation of their birth. They turn their noses up at faith, organised religion yet talk in terms of communism uniting the world in a kind of "Umma". They are an aberration that puts its faith on a philosophy, which is alien to this country, against free will that drives humanity and its creativity, in a leadership which is foreign, in a violence, that is against our upbringing.

They talk against nuclear issue as it may be used against China, they talk against being closer to Israel and US as it may be used against China, they arrest Tibetans in Kolkatta because they protest against China, they talk about Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed territory.

Unfortunately, except for Shiv Sena, whom I hate just as equally, no one else is willing to stand against these bastards to expose them as liars and traitors. The words from half a century ago "better dead then red" does come to mind. But I think what is called for here.. One give no quarter to the Maoist guerrillas and two, prevent the bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen from giving a raw deal to villagers on many issues, and lastly don't be shy to term communists to be liars and traitors. Tough? Then lets get ready for a long red season.