Salary!

Still no luck and my saint-like patience is reaching its breaking point.

Salary......!

Salary Woes

Salary, dear salary,
Where are you?
Are you stuck-
In the coffers-
Of the great directors?

Are you stuck in limbo
Awaiting a signature from HR
Or a signature from Accounts?

Or are you stuck
In the labyrinth
Of servers and networks
That enable the transfer of funds

Shall I receive an SMS
From my bank this evening!

Stating that-
RS ***** has been credited in your account number XXX
As salary for the month of August!

Was I a fool?
To have accepted things at face value!
It seems that the Quest!
Shall begin all over again.

It seems I shall never ever-
Find sanity-
Amidst this corporate chaos.

The Guessing Game Begins!

With August coming to a close tonight and September starting tomorrow-- the guessing game begins!

Wonder not!

It is with regard to the payment of salary.
Last month it was the tenth or eleventh of August!

Hope pay gets credited at least by fifth of September!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

A Change is Promised

The culmination of various frustrations led to a colleague tendering his resignation. What followed was a long e-mail to the VP of the company detailing all the problems.

Some subtle changes can be seen since then. Things have been promised. Let us see how things shape out.

Wishing Big-heart all the best in his future endeavours!

Independence Day?

Happy Independence Day to all Indians.

The update is one still has to work from home on I'Day to avoid traveling for four hours to and from work.

Now that is Independence!

Damn! If they had Form V-A we could have claimed double wages!

Life continues to go in all it's monotony!

Cheers!

Earthquake in Chennai

Woke up to an urgent call from sis' enquiring about an earthquake. The TV news items added the suspense with reports of trmors in Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery. Tremors were felt in Cuddalore and Kanyakumari too.

I did not feel a thing and thank God for that!

There is a tsunami warning too!

Let us see what happens!

Old Movies on a Sunday

Hectic work, frustrations at work and a strange feeling of emptiness within were all forgotten on Sunday as yours truly went on a cinematic voyage through some classics.

I saw the following movies yesterday:

Wages of Fear-French

Branded to Kill-Japanese

Rebel without a Cause-English

Singin' the Rain-English.

Each movie in the list deserves a separate blog post as a review. Currently I am limiting myself to brief summaries.

Wages of Fear-Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter Van Eyck, William Tubbs, Véra Clouzot.

Directed by-Henry James Clouzot.

The movie directed by Henry James Clouzot is a slow haunting psychological case-study of the fears and unfulfilled desires of mankind, coupled with lust for money and women. An unnamed Lain American country, an oil-field operated by an American conglomerate, a rag-tag bunch of vagabond-like characters, two truckloads of nitroglycerine. How is that for a plot? The movie is shot in monochrome and the first hour progresses in introducing us to the characters. Then the challenge of transporting two truckloads of nitroglycerine across 300 miles of rugged terrain. Two drivers for each truck. You have got to see the movie to experience the fears, tensions, courage that the actors portray. A scene where a truck almost falls into a ravine as a wooden bridge breaks is brilliantly shot. Do both trucks reach their destination? Do all the four drivers survive? Watch the movie for answers. The movie deserves five stars!

Branded to Kill-Jo Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Koji Nanbara, Mari Annu

Directed by-Seijun Suzuki

This was indeed a special movie. I had purchased this dvd almost a year ago, inexplicably I never viewed it. The movie is a real treat for its visual appeal, symbolism-imagery and slick editing. The striking aspect is that the visual appeal holds greater value as the movie was shot in monochrome. You have obsessed women, disturbed-assassins, thrilling chases and shootouts, strange imagery of dead butterflies and birds, a couple of explicit sexual encounters with abundant nudity. An anti-hero who sniffs boiled rice for sexual arousal. The movie is a bit difficult to understand but never loses its tempo. Condemned in Japan on release the movie has since built a cult-following and served as inspiration to many directors like John Woo. Deserves 5 stars but I was put off by the nudity and I guess language is a barrier. So I give it 4 stars.

Rebel without a Cause-James Dean, Natalie Wood, Corey Allen, Sal Mineo, Dennis Hopper

Directed by-Nicholas Ray

James Dean why did you die so young? The movie showcases the acting skills of James as a teenager who tries hard to fit in the scheme of normal American life. Shot in colour the movie serves as a mirror of American society in the fifties. Life was about status in society, how to present and conduct oneself so that society would look up to you. The movie is set in a time-frame of 24 hours. from getting arrested for drunkenness, to joining a new high-school, a fight, a racing challenge, an inadvertent death, fleeing from home and once again another inadvertent death.

Frustrations in society that are universal. A must-watch for all teenagers and their parents. Sometimes parents never understand kids and many a time kids end up living a life that their parents envisage for them! Five stars for James and the gang!

Singin' in the Rain-Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell

Directed by-Stanley Donnen and Gene Kelly

The all-time favourite seen long back on TNT. The movie describes the transition of Hollywood from the silent era to the musical talkie. A sweet little movie with elaborate sets, songs and dance. A romance woven into it. A star who falls for small-time artiste. Great lines, beautiful songs, awesome tap-dancing, some really funny lines. Watch this on a rainy day with your beloved beside you. Five stars again!

Murali Leaves Us

Talented actor Murali passed away this morning in Kerala. He was 55. An actor par excellence, a lawyer by profession whose first love was theatre. Murali had the depth and power to reign supreme in Malayalam cinema. There are many rumours that Mammooty tried to sabotage Murali's career as a hero. Such accusations are common in all the various "woods" when character actors give the so-called heroes a run for their money.

Murali has played the cold-blooded villain, the friend, father, honest police inspector and countless other roles. His performance in Pulijanmam won him an award. He had won accolades for many other movies too. Of late he appeared in some Tamil movies too. He also appeared in the Deccan Air ad of a small town villager who ends up travelling in an aeroplane.

On par with Thilakan for his powerful dialogue delivery and magnetic gaze-Malayalam cinema has lost another good actor.

State of My Mind

Life sometimes is cruel,
But when the cruelties,
Strike one after the other,
Without a break in between.
When prayers that come,
From a devout heart,
Get lost in the confines-
Of space and time,
What does one do?

When the folks-
Who always stood by you.
Stand helpless and weak.
How does one provide support and solace?
Is this the cruel joke!
That was in store for me!

I cried when I realised-
That I had lost her.
That I could no longer call her-"Dearest."
I was sad but then I quickly recovered!
And wished her the best.

But now-
I am lost for words.
Lost on every count!
And in spite of everything that I tried.
I ended up as a loser!
Not just in love.
But in life too.

As I continue this dreary monotonous existence and fall into new depths of depression with each passing day. I continue to hope that the light would shine out of the gloomy depths.

Avani Avittam without Father

The yearly ritual of changing the sacred thread, went without a hitch. Managed to get a day's leave for the ritual. It is good to have an Iyengar/Iyer as the boss. They know the importance of the day and do not ask silly questions. This year holds special significance as I performed the ritual in the absence of my father. The Lord knows what he is doing. For all practical purposes I guess he has fled the state. I spoke to some staff at his office and they said that he comes to office irregularly.

I try not to worry or think about him. But my work keeps getting disrupted as my mind wanders back to the past when I thought I was a part of a happy family-20 years back in a block of flats in Pune. Never did my child's mind realize that Fate would play such a curious trick on me and I would end up like this.

For 11 years when the three of us stayed together and tried to build a rapport, cracks kept appearing and disappearing in the bonds of affection. Finally as the proverbial final blow that struck, I was surprised to see how happily my father washed his hands off all responsibilities and left us.

All these years of prayers, meditation and devout belief have resulted in this. Perhaps the Good Lord wanted things to be like this. I made a choice to chart a career again in Instructional Design and I will be honest when I say that I am failing in my quest. An environment that is filled with self-created pressure does not help things.

If things go on at this pace and tempo-I am definitely calling it quits. Salary being delayed again and again, lame excuses of a strike that started today when pay was promised on the fourth of every month(maximum by the fifth!). This blog started with a definite purpose of providing insights into cinema, literature, my poems and short stories. Now it has turned in to my cribbing/crying/ranting notebook. I have lost my follower too.

Nadodigal and Meiporul

Finally I managed to see two movies.

Nadodigal and Meiporul

Nadodigal
Directed by Samudrakani starring Sasikumar, Ganja Karupopu and others.

Sasikumar is turning out to be the man with the Midas touch. He has found success as a director, producer and actor. Nadodigal is about a group of friends who help another friend marry the girl he loves. The impact of this action and how this changes the lives of the original group of friends forms the crux of the story. Good energetic feel in the movie, one unwanted gaana-item by a buxom lady, decent comedy track and a foot-tapping mood-setter "Shambo-Shiva Shambo."

The movie becomes preachy at the end and suddenly Sasi reminds one of T. Rajendar but the movie is a superhit in all centres and the producers are laughing all the way to the bank.

Meiporul

Shot in the U.S. and made by a bunch of non-filmi software professionals this movie deserved a better run. There is a doctor and his wife( a reporter for a Tamil magazine). They are friends with another couple. The doctor is an atheist and he befriends a man who predicts the future. He says that the doctor would be killed by his wife.

What happpens? Does the doctor get killed? Who is this strange man who predicts the future? Who is the American who shadows the doctor?

Watch the movie for answers!

Musings

I just do not know. I am cracking up! Losing my sanity and patience. After my father returned home after a massive alcoholic binge and listening to another cock-and-bull story. I finally asked my father to leave. Surprisingly he was extremely happy and thanked me for liberating him of his duties. He never did do anything good and that is another story.

Mother frequently falls sick and is becoming frailer with each passing day as she keeps worrying herself.

Work-load is heavy and I feel that I have signed a pact leading to my own doom.

If things keep going at the current pace-I am going to call it quits and start working from home as I cannot keep worrying about mother while I am in office.

Let me see what happens.

Wish me luck!

Saw some movies on dvd-finally!

Will post reviews soon.

Work, Work and more Work

I seem to be loaded with work and have not seen a movie for a record period of 20 days now. That is indeed a weird statistic considering that I am one real movie fanatic.

Loads of work at work[I am being poetic!]

Good I guess!

Hope pay gets credited properly on time.

Last month was one long complicated waiting process.

Things not well on the domestic front too as Daddy Dearest has begun his ritual of the Betaal climbing the old tree and returned to his nefarious ways of drinking hard and absconding from work and home. God knows that I have been very very patient all these years and I do not know when I will snap and take a serious action. Mother continues to suffer in silence and has been afflicted with fever and tiredness.

Things continue to go and I try to find some sense in this life.

May be I am cursed to be this way and suffer for the sins of others!

Cricket News

Bangladesh secured a historic test win against West Indies.
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan twice in the current test-series.
England managed to escape by a whisker to secure a draw in the first Ashes Test.
The second test is underway.

Cricket News

When everyone talks about the demise of Test Cricket and how T:20 is changing the world of cricket-the first test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan provided twists and turns and a striking batting-order collapse. Pakistan lost 8 wickets in quick succession and lost a match that was by all means in their pocket.

The Ashes Test in Wales is in progress and Ricky has cracked century number 38. Today's play should provide some interesting fodder for thought.

England 435 all out. Australia 249/1. Katich is on 104 and Ponting is on 100.

A Month

It is exactly a month since I joined this firm. It is too early to say anything. But it is very evident that there is absolute chaos in everything that goes on here. Having the head office in another city and allocating work across branches and people does not help matters. Remote management, communication gap, miscommunication, money-transfer issues. A set of people who do not know what to do? Conflicting and confusing job roles and responsibilities. The list can go on... Added to that this is a small office functioning out of a flat.

But among all this chaos there is a good bonding among all the staff and there is a sincerity of purpose and dedication to get the job done. Additionally there are a couple of stalwarts of the e-learning industry who are on the board of directors and offer lot of valuable insights.

Let me see how long I last here.

Folks wish me luck!

A New Friend

Well after four years of company in which you provided me joy, good news, sorrow and fun. I decided to move on. But do not worry you will still be with me.

Well folks I got a new mobile phone. The Samsung Star. It looks awesome and is loaded with features. A huge screen and only three buttons at the bottom. The phone is a total-touch enabled one and has a host of widgets. A 3.2 megapixel camera with lots of photo-composing features. Dedicated music player and FM radio. The phone is black in colour and cost me Rs 9500 plus taxes.

My old friend the Sony Ericsson z530i is safely secured in its original package in my cupboard at home. Too many memories of using Ziggy. Well you can stare that's the name for my old mobile. I have spent many an hour talking to someone whom I can no longer claim to be mine. Tracked cricket match updates while traveling on the train by calling up friends. Shot a whole lot of pictures in Ooty. The list can just go on and on. Ziggy thanks for being such a good companion. I almost had a shock when someone tried to steal the phone in the bus, but by good luck and presence of mind I got you back in one piece.

Thanks for all the good times!

Now it's time to keep moving with the times with Sammy! That's my new friend:)

Holy Shit

HOLY SHIT

I am going to think twice before I utter the phrase again. The past week has been hectic. A case of food poisoning and dehydration-leading to upto four trips to the toilet every hour for three days. Three days of Sick Leave in office. A delay in completing my work. The Lord knows how much water has passed:)

My stomach still feels strange and I have a suspicious feeling that I might need to rush to the toilet any time.

Folks my advice-"Avoid red cabbage and spinach for a while."

Those were the suspects in my case.

Thiruvanamalai

THIRUVANAMALAI

An opportunity to visit Thiruvanamalai came my way and I jumped to the chance. A magnificent temple and well maintained too. The overpowering feeling of strength and devotion is unmistakable here. I also managed to visit the Ramana Ashram and met spiritualist Nochur Venkatraman-popular for his discourses on the Bhagavatham.

The whirlwind trip was completed in 10 hours-Chennai-Thiruvanamalai-Chennai.
A proper trip is in my mind and I intend to spend a couple of days at the ashram.
As God wills!

Pakistan Win

In troubled times some good news for Pakistan. An all-round performance by the team and a brilliant spell of fast-bowling ensured that Pakistan are the new T:20 world champions.

Afridi, Razzaq and Gul did a good job.

Younis Khan announced his retirement from T:20 cricket.

Afridi might be the new T:20 captain