LFS

LFS - Large Format Stores, that is the name of the BU i have joined last month. And i have re-christened it as Life @ Full Speed just because now i do not have time at all. I start at 8 in the morning and stay back at work till 9 or 10. Lately, in my also sleep i am planning about activities for business and the challenges.

But this post is not about my new profile, but about life, which this blog is all about. 2014 started at a low point. Some plans failed, which i believed would be successful. It is like "Dreams in my eyes are my nightmares today". People say failures are part of life, whoever came up with this thought, that guy must be crazy, Hehehe. Its not the failure but the disappointment in life that creates void in your existence itself and you can't just live like that. 

Yesterday as i was preparing half yearly report for my business, i thought what did my own report card says for this year. And i realized that after my failure, "i did not live this life but just existed." And suddenly i felt, Damn you Prasanth Prabhakaran, you may be a failure whole your life, but still you never existed, you lived your life fullest even with those failures. Yes i was a shameless creature who has failed so many times with a smile, lol.... I realised that i wasted so much of it, last week i went to Goa with my friends, and the only thing i did was sit silently and watch my friends playing in sea. Heights was that i slept at the shore while those friends were playing at the beach in candolim. 

But now it seems that there are things to be done. Especially October had always been a special month for me, so i feel to start things afresh. Started it with taking up operations plus sales (yes sales which i avoid taking up) for my BU. Blogging whenever i could get time, (if LFS let me do so) and then clicking whenever possible. Watch movies. Yes, i have to mention it, because i could not believe it that i have not seen a movie since youngistaan. Even when i have all the latest movies on my PC, i have not seen them. Now what can be a more disgrace than that. Dad's birthday is coming in November so have to plan that. Same way many things are pending to be done. 

In the end it seems right to quote

 "One must let go of the life they have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." 

Recalling 2011...

Its 2012 now, a year which as per some people will be the last year of this world. I don't know if it is true or not, but when it comes to me, i look forward to it positivly without expecting what will happen. Expectations when kept at lowest always brings peace and happiness when you do more than that.

2011 was something in which things happened for me first time in life. 2011 was filled with weddings, birthdays, events and some good byes. There were bad moments, which i don't recall much because i was told by someone that its the Happy Moments that stays and rest all vanishes with time. So i am letting the bad moments go away and just holding the sweet moments I had. Some of them which i am going to share here as a note for me to read and relive those moments.

WELCOME 2011...

2011 started on a very fun note, as it was first time after me moving to Qatar, i had people around me to celeberate New Year Eve. Avinash was also in country, and we had 3 senior people from our office with us at our place. It was a long night resulting to late punch-in at office. So year began with masti.

My Birthday...

People across the globe are confused about my date of birth due to different DOB's i have on my passport, certificates & Birth certificate. And i also don't help them by telling different dates to different people. LOLZ... As a result people start calling from 21st and calls continue till 23rd of March every year. Since 2 years Avi was watching it and this time he planned to teach me a lesson. I ended up cutting 4 cakes in 3 different parties. Who does that...?? But it was fun and made me feel good about me.

Avi's Wedding & Chandigarh Trip...

Finally the day came, when Avinash decided to settle down. It is always good to see friends getting serious about life and looking ahead. My Delhi visit to attend his wedding followed by my Chandigarh Visit was a total fun plan. 2 days of delhi, where met new people, made some good friends and top of it, was part of my buddy's happy moments. God Bless the couple with all the happiness.

Rahul Bhai's Wedding...

It was a long wait but finally it happened. My big brother found a perfect match and decided to tie a knot. His wedding gave me a very sweet bhabhi (more kinda sister now) who now gives me company in planning my mess while i am in Qatar. Someone with whom i share all my crazy ideas and she supports me with them. Hahahaa.... and moreover it was fun to fly down to kerala, meet family and also be a part of wedding, where you are busy with the activities. Moreover, i was the official DJ in the wedding.. LOLZ... that was fun as i killed people with boring music.

The count increased...

It started on a business note when i had hired a bunch of youngsters for a Nokia Event. Well didn't realise but these people became close pals for whom only prayers come out. One kid reminded me of my cuzin sis back in india, and when i told her, i realised i just made a bonding with her. Not related by any means, but still i found a sister in Qatar. And found couple of friends who are too cool and sweet at same time to hangout with me... They are another chapter of my life which i will remember.

Buying My Canon Cam...

The dream of owning a DSLR camera was there in heart for long time now but situation was never compatible for me to buy it. Finally a day came, when i finally had the money and a situation to use that money for my purchase. One of the very rare occassion when i spend money on what i want. A feel of satisfaction and then the fun of clicking, its priceless.

Dream finally achieved...

When i started my career at the age of 19, i had 2 goals in mind. To get my parents retired and to build a house for them in their place. First one was achieved 5 years back and the second was the difficult one. It took me a long time, but finally the day came when we finally moved into our new house. For me its a house of dreams, where i see my parents settled and relaxed, my nieces and nephews coming and njoiin their vacations, a place where i could go and spend my weeklong holidays. The feeling of fulfilling that task really makes me feel lighter and happier.

It also was a year when some people moved out Qatar leaving me alone for the time, but again i am not alone, because i have someone with me always. God has always taken care that even through tough times i stand and try to smile. 2011 taught me to be positive, believe in me and my dreams and to think from heart. Taking those points i move ahead for a better 2012 where i am going to take some risks. Hoping for only good, even in bad, praying for good for everyone, i continue my journey called Life.

Movies of 2011

With 2011 coming to an end, me and my friend decided to jot down a list of 11 Bollywood movies that we really liked in 2011. As we both are crazy about movies, the idea of writing a post on movies was a hit at its first mention itself. Coming back to the topic, I pulled out the list of bollywood movies in 2011, and found that many movies came out this year. But movies with big names also were not able to make noise were not strong enough to be appreciated by viewers.

I am not a movie critic or person who knows much of the technicalities of film making. But I believe in 2 things that a movie should have. First of all, while watching a movie, one should not look at his/her watch. You need not feel that time is not moving or it is too long. Secondly when you walk out of the cinema hall, one should have a smile of satisfaction that the money was well spent and you carry some good light moments of the movie with you as you leave. And that is how I ended up with the movies I am jotting down. Not ranking them because every movie was good at its own and had a different idea of its own.

ROCKSTAR

Well I will start with the Best that I saw this year and the movie that has gone into my list of my all time favorites.

3 People who are at best of what they do, came together with a team of very professional people and the outcome you saw was ROCKSTAR. Imitiaz Ali, Ranbir Kapoor and A R Rahman really prove that they are the best in the business. Ranbir did hell of a job as an arrogant and crazy Jordan while playing the cute and stupid Janardhan Jhakkar on the same page. Imitiaz Ali was at his best of story telling while Rahman rocked with his tunes. Rockstar was a total winner in 2011.

CHILLAR PARTY

This was a surprise for me and some of my friends also. A story a about a street dog and few kids who come out and stand against the whole society was something new and refreshing. A total entertainer with very good story telling which kept you hooked to your seats for whole movie. Now who expected that from a movie with no big stars to boast and no big production house backing it up. Kids proved that they are the stars and story is the essence of movies, not the big names. Well this one also got added into my list of movies which I can see anytime.

TANU WEDS MANU

Well this movie made me believe that you don’t need stars to carry a movie. Good actors and good story telling is enough. The way director captured the bride hunting for an NRI boy, the weddings, the lifestyle in Patna all was shot and told in a very nice way. Madhavan was simply at his best and did much of his dialogue deliveries through expression. Backed up by songs on background like Yun Hi and Rang rez, it was feel good movie for me.

NO ONE KILLED JESSICA

Many film-makers have tried to capture real life incidents on Reel but that is not everyone’s cup of tea. This movie might be forgotten by most of people, but this one was a Hard hitting movie which captured the Jessica Lal Murder Case and did justice to the whole matter without adding much of Masala to it. Rani did a great job and again proved why she is best in her field. The rude, arrogant and hard hitting reporter role was done in a terrific manner

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DUBARA

Sometimes, you don’t like the movie at all and you think what the hell you are you doing sitting in theatre watching it but later when you think about it or you see the ending you feel, that was not Bad. That was my same reaction for ZNMD. Slow paced story telling did have a negative effect but again I liked the idea of makers telling us to live life without fearing about tomorrow, because you get to live only Once. The movie did fail at directorial level, but on acting part whole team did a great Job. And Shankar Ehsaan & Loy gave some good music for ears with this movie.

DON 2

I always look forward for Farhan Akhtars Movie and DON 2 was something I was waiting for long. Even though DON 2 didn’t come out to my level expectations, it was at PAR. SRK’s magic worked but the show stealer was the stunts and direction. DON 2 marks entry of Indian Cinema to a better version of action sequence and style of direction.

LADIES V/S RICKY BAHL     

Yash Raj Films knows the taste of masses and they come with talents who can stand up to that expectation. Team of Band Baaja Baaraat came up together once again to bring out a fun film. A different plot, a guy thugs ladies and moves to one place to other was innovative. Ranveer as an actor proved that Band Baaja Baaraat was not a fluke and he is here to stay. The whole team did some good entertainment and this movie is a watchable affair. But one name I should mention is Parineeti Chopra, who was fun to watch. The loud acting really made me ROFL… :P

DELHI BELLY

Modern Indian Cinema is changing and Delhi Belly proves it. Backed up by Mr. Perfectionist, Delhi Belly was a simple story but told in a youthful way (which won’t be liked by most of our elders). It got famous for all the forbidden things starting from Bhaag D K Bose song to the highly abusive dialogues and ending with kissing scene of our Pappu (Imran) who seems to be now grown up ;-). Well it was an entertainer and it will be unfair if I don’t applaud the work of Vir Das and the show stealer Kunaal Roy Kapoor. I still don’t understand, why he doesn’t act in commercial cinema on a regular basis.

READY

Salman Khan movie, that itself says it all. Salman has rarely given a movie which is not an entertainer and is not for masses. Remake of a Telugu Film, the story was senseless but funny and to be true (I know people might disagree and call me crazy :P) but I enjoyed the movie. Asin was good at her comedy but Paresh Rawal & Salman Combo were on fire.

BUDDHAH HOGA TERA BAAP

Puri Jaganath like every fan of Big B wants to dedicate something to him. And what best you can give him than make a movie showing that yeah he is still a superstar. Big B added the charm by giving the Kool (Present version of Cool Style) attitude and awesome acting. Go Meera Song rocked and same way the movie rocked. A Big B fan myself, I loved it. Prakash Raj again proved that he is a terrific actor and even if he is standing up against Big B, he has his own enigma. Awesome one time watch where Amitabh Rocked the screen.

MERE BROTHER KI DULHAN

Yash Raj Production, Funny movie, no special formulae but the movie was an entertainer. I loved the cinematography and the way they captured Delhi. Some of the moments were very good, while some were ok, but you come out of the theatre, you had some funny scenes to discuss. So this comes in the list.

Other than this I would like to mention few names like RA One, Bodyguard, Yamla Pagla Deewana, FALTU, Aarakshan, Desi Boyz who were not at PAR but were not bad also. Some thing or other lacked it to make it something amazing but they all were watchable affair and they had put effort to bring out something good. And that is something one should appreciate.

These are the movies I liked in 2011 and looking forward for some Kickass movies in 2012. Lets see what’s in store… ;-)

As i said, it was me and my friend who came up with the idea of writing a post on the subject... Here is what she wrote... Worth a read... http://deepikagupta1987.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-likes-of-2011-movies.html

Tu Haaiiiiiiii Meriiiiiiiiiii Kiiiran.... ;-)

Title itself reminds every indian about a song which was a chartbuster for a long long time... For others, these are lyrics of a famous hindi song...

Coming back to the topic, well on my way back to my appartment today, this track came up on the radio and while listening to it, my train of thoughts began to whistle... :-p. Yeah, me thinking is quite unnatural but sometimes i do think... hehe...

And my train of thoughts took me back to 1993 september (yeah its train of thoughts, not a time machine, but i went to 1993 because that is when this song came out) it was on lips of every second person. Specially with the vella bandas (busy widout wrk ppl.. :P) who sit near girls colleges for an eye soother moment.

And if any girls name was Kiran, thats it, they were supposedly being called everywhere... :P Infact every girl was kiran during that period.... just to tease a girl, u just sing Tu hai meri kiran... (You are my kiran).

Now that is not i was thinking.... I was thinking is that what made Anand Bakshi ji (with all due respect to him) choose kiran. We know, in India films is like a religion and with this song, any girl name kiran was going to have fun trouble. Eve teasing and all... Why didn't he go for any other name.  So many names and only Kiran... Who was kiran...? did she ever ditch him...? even his wife's name was not kiran, so that probability is also gone...? this question remains a secret....

But with this act actually he brought all kirans to extinction... After this song coming out i think, i haven't heard people keeping Kiran name for their daughters. May be 2-3 people. like kiran rao, (wife of aamir khan) are the few species left with this name. Now, I blame Mr. bakshi for this. He initiated a nuclear reaction because of which Kiran is extinct now. Becoz of his enemity or hatred to the name (which is still a secret) now we can only hear about them in his song or we have to watch whole movie to see K K k k kiran... :P

Well it was a very useless train of thought (who won't be expecting that) but i thought i will share it with you...

Tu hai meri kiran... tu hai merii kiran....

Bollywood with Arabic Tadka... :-P

I never thought that living in middle east would be so much funny but lately thanks to Zee aflam, I do have a good laugh every weekend. Bollywood have great fans here in Arab countries and Zee was smart enough to have a local channel where they play Hindi movies with Arabic sub-titles. Lately with increasing followers, they went one step further to cater the Arabic speaking population. Now they play some top grosser bollywood films dubbed in Arabic.

And you bet sometimes, you find it funny and sometimes you just want to break that TV. Yesterday I was watching Fanaa. This aamir khan flick is famous for the dialogues and the shayari aamir says during the whole movie. But yesterday what they were doing is still not clear to me. Even Rehan, name of aamir’s character when mentioned in Arabic, seemed like some bike passed besides me in jet speed. It was only Han Han which was being heard.

Another thing which they have done is that they only translated the dialogues, Phew!! What a relief. I can’t imagine they converting Chand Sifarish in Arabic. Anyways, now the whole while the characters know Arabic but when they sing they can sing in Hindi…..

Well the list is not small… you can see all the top stars speaking Arabic now. Dhoom, Dhoom 2, jodha akbar, rab ne banaa di Jodi, dostana and blah blah blah…. I now need to learn Arabic because now I don’t understand anything, and that tendency to see the movie leads me to download them and watch again… :-P

And King Khan going one step further by promoting the channel by speaking in Arabic... Bollywood Billa Arabia.....