Mozhi - A Feast

Photo courtesy: Indiaglitz

I watched the latest tamil movie 'Mozhi' this evening with my family.

I have to confess that this is the best of all Tamil movies that I've seen in recent years . I am not a big fan of commercial cinema..I mean a Masala movie with Blood,flesh and stupid comedy.

Mozhi is a different animal altogether. A breathtaking movie. Very clean and crisp.

I applaud Prakash Raj for producing a superb movie. A daring move indeed amidst all these junk movies that come out these days.

Prithivi Raj - He is maturing as an actor and I am sure he'll reach new heights in Tamil Cinema.
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Jyothika - IMHO, this is one of her best performances.
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Prakash Raj - He is such a versatile actor, who can even crack you up with his humor.
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Swarnamalya - Didn't know that she can act so Well.
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Director Radha Mohan - Superb performance ( Not sure if its the first movie? )
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Dialogues Viji - Wonderful, very crisp, nice comedy as well
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Music - Vidyasagar, I need not mention about this album, it is already a great hit

I loved all the songs

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Balram - What a voice, The Title song 'Kaatrin Oli' is so soothing.
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Vairamuthu - Wonderful lyrics, all songs are superb.
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Apartment Secretary and the Professor - Wonderful comedy Indeed !
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Please don't miss this movie. Go with your family and enjoy !

Here is what India Glitz says:

On the whole, Mozhi transforms you into another world where there is just laughter and beauty everywhere. John Keats once said, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." And Mozhi is joy!

Honda Civic - GX ( CNG Car)

I commute over 70 miles every day to work. Pretty soon it is going to go up to 135 miles. To save some time and money I thought I would buy a Honda Civic GX which runs on CNG ( Compressed Natural Gas).

This car has 113HP and consumes around 1 gallon of CNG per 35 Miles. The car costs around 25,000$. CNG costs are currently around 1.50$ per gallon vs. petrol which costs around 2.75$ per gallon.

If I buy this car, the US Govt will give me 4000 Dollars back as Tax credit.

When I went to the dealership in the city next to me ( Vacaville, 7 miles North ), they told me that if I lived or worked in Vacaville I would get a 7000 dollar rebate (offered by the City of Vacaville). I fet sad I that I wasn't eligible since I lived in the neighboring town, Fairfield.

Imagine this: 25K Cost - 4K Tax rebate - 7K Rebate = 14K which is a wonderful deal on this car. Add to this the luxury of 'NO TOLLS' which is 4$ per bridge ( I will cross two Bridges). Add to this the luxury of driving on Car Pool Lanes which will cut my commute time by atleast half !

Also, as a Good citizen I can save the earth from GreenHouse gas, I can reduce the consumption of Gasoline.

I have written to the Mayor of the City of Fairfield and also the city council to help us, residents of Fairfield.

Let's see what happens.

Farmer suicides in India

During my school days, I’ve read that India is an agricultural country. Thanks to industrialization and growth of the IT sector the scenario has changed dramatically today. The economy of India is growing at a rate of 10%, which is awesome.

We see multi-lane highways, McDonalds, 100’s of Channels on TV, modern clothing, high-rise buildings, and boast about the Indian Economy.

Amidst all this, the Indian Government forgot that a majority of India still lives in villages, uneducated, depending on the rains depending on agriculture. We forgot to think about them. So, today we see migration patters to city from the impoverished villages.

The small farmer, whoever is left in the villages dependent on Agriculture for their livelihood struggles to make ends meet.

After all I Kg of Dal, an Egg, a Kg of rice etc. cost the same in villages too! Sometimes more expensive.

So, how can these poor farmers live? How can they raise their kids? It is very important for the Indian Government to take care of the villages/villagers/farmers.

Here is some news today about suicides and farmers. I felt really sad to read this, which made me write this post.

New Delhi, Feb. 17: Nearly 7,000 farmers committed suicide in different parts of the country in just three years, according to government statistics alone. The average is even more frightening: it works out to six farmers killing themselves every day during that period. Despite this, no mechanism has been put in place to monitor the progress of implementation of the Prime Minister’s special package for the farmers of 31 suicide-prone districts across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, according to the reply furnished by the Union agriculture ministry to a set of questions posed by this newspaper under the Right to Information Act

PKMC - Worth watching

I Watched Pachaikili Muthucharam this evening at IMC6 San Jose with my family. My younger one got scared after the interval and we had to let her sit out.

I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. The first few minutes drag a little but soon the turnarounds happen and the movie becomes gripping.

A big letdown were the songs. Nothing stayed in my mind..not a single..song! What's happening to you Mr.HJ?

I could see my older one biting her nails off in the second half. Looks like actress Jayshree has dubbed for Jyothika. She was also in the theater with her family and friends.

Jyothika and Sarathkumar have done a good job. Andrea, the other heroine is ok. Gautham Menon shines in his story telling style. Cinematography is good.

Glad to see directors like Gautham Menon in Tamil.

Caffeine and Sugar - in COKE and PEPSI

I read this in REDIFF today and immediately thought that I should write something about Coke/Pepsi.

I feel that this might help someone out there who doesn't know what COKE/PEPSI have in them.

During my recent trip to India I saw several kids / teens drinking COKE / PEPSI !

A little bit of knowledge will help in avoiding drinks rich in Sugar and caffeine.

So, Here is some data:

Coke ( Regular - 1 can)
Sugar ( approx.38 grams - around 8 tsp)
Caffeine ( approx. 46 grams - around 9 tsp)

Pepsi ( Regular - 1 can )
Sugar ( approx. 40 grams - around 8 tsp)
Caffeine ( approx. 38 grams - around 8 tsp)

So, the next time you take a can of COKE / PEPSI near your mouth please remember the numbers.

If you see a kid drinking it...please take a minute and warn them / their parents.

Power Situation in Bombay

I was reading the ECONOMIST Magazine yesterday, the one that had the cover page on the "Overheating of India's Economy". I am sorry I couldn't find the link for that article.

It was a well written piece which concluded with the steps India has to take to maintain the expected 10% growth in the coming years.

One of the few areas they touched were Education and Infrastructure.

Today, while I was browsing thru SUMANASA which is a nice news website, I came across this article on the power situation in BOMBAY..aka 'The Financial Capital of India". Please look the numbers on this chart.

How does this reflect on the Infrastructure ? Where are the "Rupees" that came out of the 8-10% growth being spent ?

Photo Courtesy: MumbaiMirror

Dinesh Karthik

Those who know me well will tell you that I don't believe in astrology / numerology / Vaastu etc.etc.

I was taken by surprise when I read about this talented Young cricketer Dinesh Kathik in Cricinfo. There was a mention about how he has changed his name trying his luck with numerology ! What a shame I thought.

My thoughts for Dinesh:

1. Please believe in yourself.
2. You are a very talented wicket keeper batsman.
3. You'll succeed.
4. Karthik, Your name change is not going to help you unless you hold the bat, face the bowlers and hit the ball. So, it doesn't matter if you are Dinesh Karthik or Dinesh Kaarhick or whatever.

In the four years since his first-class debut, he has gone from the alliterative KKD Karthik to the shortened KD Karthik, to the exotic Dinesh Kaarthick, to the straightforward Dinesh Karthik. His interactions with journalists are incomplete without a clarification about his name, a topic so confusing that it's tempting to ask for his passport to resolve all doubt.

Photo Courtesy - CRICINFO

Vijay TV - Worth every Penny

A few months back, just after I switched to Vijay TV from Sun TV, I had a post about how Vijay TV sucks.

Times have changed and Vijay TV's quality has gone up sky high.

I enjoy watching it with my family.

Way to Go ! Vijay TV & STAR Network !

My favorite programs on Vijay TV

Coffee with Anu

Grand Master

Neeya Naana

Kalakkappovadhu Champions

Lollu Sabha

Madhan's Thirai parvai

Sangamam

Jodi No.1

ET

Jillunu Oru Jodi

Kathu Karuppu

Kuttram

Can SUN TV boast about such variety?

So..what are you waiting for ? Please switch to Vijay TV and enjoy!

Disclaimer - Vijay TV didn't pay me anything to write this Post :)

I still wish they had some news coverage which I feel will be neutral compared to JAYA TV or SUN TV and also the delay of one week which I feel still sucks!

Cricket World cup - 2007

Interesting Tamil poem

in

Ganesh Venkittu's Blog

on

Cricket World Cup 2007

SFO - Indian Consulate dumps Sensitive Data

Sensitive data dumped at recycling center. Indian Consulate tossed visa applications from business, political figures at S.F. facility.

Among the papers were visa applications submitted by Byron Pollitt, chief financial officer of San Francisco's Gap Inc., and Anne Gust, wife of California Attorney General Jerry Brown.

"As we see it, the documents are not confidential," said B.S. Prakash, the consul general. "We would see something as confidential if it has a Social Security number or a credit card number, not a passport number."

My Question to Mr. Prakash - Don't you have shredders in your offices? And what kind of message are we sending here to the world ?