Studio Ghibli Films

When I watch Studio Ghibli films I feel a strong sense of familiarity and at the same time experience a feeling of strangeness!

There are no heroes or villains in their films; it would be an overly simplistic theme for Ghibli.

Ghibli films are about witches, robots, war-torn wastelands, wonder, love and about simple everyday things. These films are brilliant work of creation.

How does one recommend a first Ghibli film? They are ALL so good. 

Except spirited away and the cat returns I am in awe of all their films.

Here is a list of some Ghibli Films that I liked:

1. Castle in the sky

2. Grave of Fireflies

3. My neighbor Totoro

4. Only Yesterday

5. Whisper of the Heart

6. My neighbors the Yamadas

7. Howl's moving castle

8. Arriety

9. From up on Poppy hill

Idiot Box : part 6

21. Comedy circus : It comes as a gentle breeze in an otherwise chaotic and dry life. I thoroughly enjoy each and every episode of comedy circus and am amazed each time to see the amount of talent. The show is simply hilarious. Mubin and Sidharth are my favorites.


22. Comedy nights with Kapil - Some do think they have a sense of humor but it is so easy to get carried away- leave the land of humor and enter the territory of insulting others. Two most important things required to be a great comedian are timing and knowing where to stop.

Kapil has an impeccable comedy timing and knows where to stop. Sunil Grover who featured on the show earlier is one of the finest comedians, he has a class. After Sunil left the show it got boring for me. I enjoy celebrity interviews on the show rest of it is way too loud for my taste.

23. Satyamev Jayate: Amir Khan discusses social issues in India. I do not know if any shows can bring about social reforms but I feel Aamir Khan might bring about a revolution in small parts of the country. The amount of research Aamir and his team has put into the show was clearly visible with the facts and figures presented. Every aspect of the issue was covered with great diligence.

Awaiting to watch the second season (starts in March 2014).

24. Khupte tithe gupte : I do not know half of the people coming on the show but half of them are the ones I have watched all my growing years. It feels great to see the interviews of Marathi actors/ musicians/ politicians/ poets and social workers.


25. Koffee with Karan : I do not wait for any other show as much as I wait for Koffee with Karan. The show is success simply because of Karan Johar's effervescent personality. The juicy gossip is a dollop on top.

Idiot Box: part 5

17. Dexter: A serial killer who kills other serial killers, I loved the concept but I could watch just one season of this show. I thought I will get numb to watching all these killings after few episodes but that did not happen. Of course I will recommend this show to everyone who is not as fainthearted as me.


18. The returned: Many religions promise reunion with our departed loved ones in an afterlife or the bodily resurrection of the dead themselves, what will happen if it comes true? Zombies are in fashion today but this show is different and definitely worth watching.

19.  Elementary: I adore Sherlock Holmes, a character that was created in 1887 by Doyle is still as much (or may be more) mesmerizing and fascinating. With changing times Sherlock's character has grown too.. he uses gadgets, internet and what not. I loved this show and all the actors in it.


20. The Blacklist: I do find Megan Boone a little irritating at times mostly because of her hair style which keeps poking her eyes and second because of her make up and dressing style which doesn't match the character she plays. She is slow and acts dull, hard to believe she is a FBI agent. I watch the show for James Spader, he is stunning. A good crime drama.

Once there lived a Rain

Before his arrival the sky looks angelic like a dome of plasma blue. Flowers, trees, leaves dance with the soft gentle breeze, birds chirp and then the expected drizzle comes our way. I hold my palms out to feel its gentle touch.

The company of this delightful rain feels like a newborn's aroma, soft touch and joyful presence. He keeps drizzling playfully, then commences the clamorous thunderstorms. He starts dashing as if he has conquered the whole world. Where does his cheerfulness and innocence vanish? He acts like a reckless teenager.

He erupts, floods and reaches cliff of a mountain. He is dazzled to see the radiant landscape in front of him, halcyon skies above and a deep valley underneath. Everything is suddenly crystal clear, he regrets for all the disruption and damage that he did on his way to the cliff. He sees many alike falling in the valley and the ones that follow him would end the same.

Did he unite with a river, meet the sea or was absorbed by the soil? Who knows! No one could find a trace as if he never existed... But before leaving he fulfilled his dream, even though just for a few seconds he did leave a ravishing rainbow...

Believer

I was born and brought up in a religious family and surrounding. I love the aroma and mellifluous bells in temples, I feel peaceful in temples with old architecture built on the banks of lake/river but I also feel a surge of vacuum in me when I see the devotees and their immense faith in deities, when I look at their boundless belief that they are in company of the creator and when get a glimpse at the magnitude of their emotions for the idols. I am sure it must be wonderful to experience this intense feeling called faith (in God); unfortunately I haven't experienced even an iota.

I feel out of place in temples.

It is not easy to say you don't believe in God in India. You could be a social outcast if you express it. I thought twice before publishing this post as well. One is emotionally blackmailed to be a part of prayers. 'Atrocious things will happen to you if you don't believe in God'. Can one develop or learn the beautiful feeling called faith by these scare tactics? It is extremely tough for a non believer to fake this pure emotion, it feels like disrespecting an angelic, sacred belief of someone.

Nobody knows who created the stars, planets, earth or life. Some claim that they know, good for them. If some entity created all this then who created that entity? What is the meaning and purpose of life on any planet? Many such questions perplex my mind and I am sure most of the atheists think about it. I disagree when people say atheists are egoists. Atheists do consider all possibilities, they are readers/thinkers too, they might have been believers themselves once.

One can try to find the answers through prayers, reading, visiting temples or meditation. Or someone might say I have this life and I am going to enjoy its beauty, neither do I have any question nor am I waiting for any answer. What is wrong with that?

Faith in this world is perfectly possible without having faith any other world. Do not force your thoughts on other people and specially your children, everyone is smart enough to think and decide, give them freedom to express their opinions. Consider their decision as much beautiful and pure as yours. Life is as much divine as a believer of nature. I hope people stop forcing their faith or skepticism onto others.

Idiot Box: part 4

11. Big Bang Theory : This show is based on four geeks. Even if they hold PHDs their is something off about them be it public speaking, common sense or the obsessive compulsive disorder. This also stars the hottest female on planet Earth - Kaley Cuoco. Sheldon Cooper is my favorite character, I see a lot of his traits in me and people around me. I like my tea of a certain temperature, anything else pisses me off. Of course Sheldon is an extreme but the awareness that we all have a mini Sheldon in all of us makes the show more interesting.

12. Everybody Loves Raymond : Fun riot. Story about Raymond who lives with wife and kids right across his interfering parents. Families are same everywhere!

13. Friends : This show needs no introduction. I must have seen each episode at least thrice.

14. 8 Simple Rules (for dating my teenage daughter) : This stars the lovely Kaley Cuoco. First three seasons (until one of the main character passed away) were hilarious.

15. Sex and the city : I was totally addicted to sex and the city (I mean the show). As the name suggests it is about sex, city (New York) and also about shoes, fashion, relationships. I loved the way they have portrayed the friendship among four main characters. They share everything from positive, beautiful to negative and ugly. I liked the writer character the most. She is a quiet observer of everything from those intense passionate moments to the lulls. The way she writes her column is thought provoking. Try it you might get addicted too.

16. Desperate Housewives: How did I ever get to watch a show with that name? Simply because it was available on Netflix instant watch. I watched just the first season and loved it. There is a difference in how a family or individual is viewed by people and how they are inside those closed doors of their house or minds. Every single person in this world has a secret that they have not shared with anyone. It can be as small as they broke a cup to may be killed someone. The show revolves around these secrets, the exterior and the interior of people and families.

links to tv show reviews:  part 1 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/07/idiot-box-part-1.html

part 2 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/07/idiot-box-part-2.html

part 3 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/09/idiot-box-part-3.html

One liner book reviews

1. The Sari shop widow: Shobhan Bantwal

Slipshod story, don’t read it even if you get it for free.

2. Bangarwadi (Marathi book): Vyanktesh Madgulkar

Simply loved it, looking forward to read more books by Vyanktesh Madgulkar

3. Allegiant: Veronica Roth

Read just half, couldn’t take her writing style, even after reading first 2 books in the series I didn’t care about the end anymore.

4. 7 Spiritual Laws of Success: Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra’s books always make me feel positive.

5. Ekam (Marathi book): Milind Bokil

I liked all the books by Milind Bokil that I read - Shaala, Udakaichya arti and Ekam

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

Book Reviews

1. Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin): I read this book because it is a New York Times best seller since last two years. How can Happiness be a project I thought but then whatever we do in life is to be happy so what is wrong with having it as a project, plan for it on purpose and make efforts to achieve it. Sometimes we have everything that one needs to be happy and still we feel unhappy. The author writes small little changes that we can make to feel happy. Gretchen many times writes tangent examples but I ignored them and kept on reading. I liked the book - it gave me a good, positive, energetic and a happy boost. I give it 3/5.

2. Happier at home (Gretchen Rubin): This is second part of Happiness Project. In this book author writes way too many random and long examples/stories. At the end of it I couldn’t figure out what is she trying to say, what is her point or if she has any. I give it 2/5.

3. Remember Me? (Sophie Kinsella): Brain injury, losing memory is no fun. I have seen my father suffering through it since last 15 years; he doesn’t remember what happened even 5 minutes ago. Sophie writes a lighthearted story of a girl who looses memory in an accident. Kinsella is a renowned writer (‘confessions of a shopaholic’ fame). I simply loved the book and I am looking forward to read more books by her. I give it 4/5.

Gossip girl

*Points marked with * are not to be taken lightly ;-)
--Names are changed in this post.

From the horse's mouth:
In a huge vacant public restroom a friend and I talked about Lata and how bad her behavior was. We were loud and clear, well not louder than the flush sound that we heard from a corner. To our astonishment Lata came out from there, not showing any sign to have heard us. 

Lessons learned -
1. *Never gossip in a restroom, closed doors may have ears.
2. *VOLUME - keep it low.
3. When people hear opinions about them this way they change their behavior, well yes, it gets worse.

No need to mention - it breaks relations
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Word of mouth:
I knew something about a relative, I wanted to spill it out to someone. I chose to chat about it to a school friend who sat next to me and who knew nothing about him. I told her 'I saw my relative Chandu with a girl, he is good looking and I think he must be having a lot of affairs'. A girl who sat on the front bench turned and asked 'Are you talking about Chandu who lives in bungalow Nandu?' I was stunned, how did she know Chandu in the whole wide Pune (that too it was his pet name), those were not even Facebook days...

Any smart person would have replied 'No, I am talking about Chandu from Agra'. My dumb reply was 'How the hell do you know him?'

As a true Punekar she found it her responsibility to let Chandu know about my opinion (which otherwise would have died with me and my friend). This of course didn't go well with him. A childish yak then got out of proportion reactions and a couple of relatives stopped talking to me.

Lessons learned - 
1. *LOCATION!  it is very important where you gossip, no unintended listener should be around.
2. True or false, big or small, good or bad - gossip does not go well with people. In the end you will be tagged as a blabbermouth. 
3. How not to react if I ever heard gossip about me - If you are self confident about who you are and what you are doing there is no need to react harshly, unless of course if there is something to hide. People engaged in name calling gossip are immature and I am no less if I react to it badly.
4. If I ever hear someone passing stupid remarks about say Rita then I will not act foolish by letting Rita know about it.

GAH and the fact remains  - it breaks relations.
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Grapevine:
Nita, Prit, Sita gossiped about Nita, Prit, Sita (of course in each other's absence) with me. Before knowing any of them really well my mind was already poisoned. I had high regard for Sita so I would try to convince Nita and Prit how good Sita was. In one such session Prit got angry and said why do you always take Sita's side I have heard it from Manish that she said such and such things about you. 

Lessons learned - 
1.  *Now I can gossip about Sita guilt free. Yey!
2.  People who gossip with you -  gossip about you in your absence, there is no loyalty here.
3.  It doesn't really feel good to hear bad things said behind your back from someone who is dear or important to you.

Can not stress more - it breaks relations.

Gossip girl title does not imply men are not gossipmongers
In my opinion people gossip to feel superior, out of jealousy or revenge, because they are puerile or then simply out of boredom. 
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The good gossip:
The other day BFF and I discussed about gossiping's side effects - how it brings unhappiness to us/others and that it breaks relations. It was a thought provoking conversation... followed by some chit chat about rest of the world. Its good that she and I are on the same page - we both think what we do is venting and not gossiping which is good for our health. Whatever we talk about stays between us since 20 years.

They say gossiping deepens bonds with friends, gives an outlet to your frustrations/ bad or good experiences and opinions.
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People who have nothing worthy to talk, read or write about also engage in celebrity gossip.

Anyway, sooo....what is happening with Ranbir and Katrina these days.....?

Regret

Old insults and bitter contentions, simple life and tangled relations....

She enjoyed jobs, cars, food, carried off well her volatile mood. She was rich with all her basic needs met still fought over some old clay plate.

She shared all with her sibling - from books, politics, career to her latest fling. Such was their rapport that they forgot beauty of any propinquity is in being considerate.

Their dispute was over an old pinch, trivial was the reason, gain was zilch. Beautiful was the house, arguments were its pillars -  it's roofs were redone - disputes were its fillers.

She got a call, her sibling met with an accident on her way to the mall. She did not get a chance to express, not even to say that the old pinch was a mistake.

Who will win? Who will lose? Life will be gone - aloof and bruised. 

An aromatic affinity was lost without experiencing its scent, a beautiful kinship withered before it bloomed perfect. Her new mantra was to forgive and forget, still she will die with a huge regret.

Book Reviews

1. Start - Jon Acoff

I love to read motivational books once in a while. Start is a very short and sweet book. If you have a dream that scares the heck out of you so much so that you fear even to start working on it then this book is for you. I give it 4/5 stars.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is a famous book series and its author is already a multimillionaire at age 25. I found the book silly, shallow and mindless. The occasionally too-dumb-to-live protagonist annoyed me the most. The story still compelled me to finish reading the book. I give it 2.5/5 stars.

3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I found the book Divergent very silly, I still read the second part - Insurgent, simply because its story is very engrossing. Needless to say I am waiting for the third part in the series (Allegiant). I give 2.5/5 stars. Divergent movie will be released in 2014.

4. Chanakya's Chant - Ashwin Sanghi

We all know Chanakya as a great strategist, scholar and diplomat. Ashwin Sanghi - in his political thriller 'Chanakya's Chant' weaves two parallel stories - spanning across two different timelines. The historical part depicting Chanakya is relatively gripping but the modern day narrative is too amateurish.
There is so much politics, jealousy, bitter words and games that people play in every sentence of the book that it caused me headache. I give it 2.5/5 stars.

5. Ender's game - Orson Scott

My imagination fails me most of the times while reading sci-fi genre. When I watched the trailer of this movie it looked so much better and different than the way I imagined it while reading the book.
I did not like the book but it has a cult following of people absolutely smitten with it. Give it a try if you like sci-fi genre. I give it 1/5 stars.

Not just about weight loss

Two and half years ago when I weighed 171 pounds I dreaded to see myself in the mirror and hated every second of mirror/photo time.

The issue wasn't just weight it was also sickness, I went through 10 antibiotic treatments, 5 root canals and one gruesome surgery in a single year. Even one antibiotic treatment is very harsh for the body so I don't need to explain what these treatments one after the other did to me, it damaged every aspect of my system. I needed to feel hearty, cleanse my body toxins and almost certainly wanted to lose weight.

I decided to lose weight, the timeline set was 3 years! Any aggressive timeline wouldn't have been realistic.There were months in a row when I didn't lose a single pound and didn't know where I was going wrong, in turn it got harder to feel motivated and positive.

My quest to feel healthy and lose weight continues... 3 years are not over yet! I wanted to share review of some reading that kept me inspired and not give up:

1. Zenhabits (blog) - Leo is motivational writer, he writes about how to build really simple but very helpful habits - flossing your teeth, waking up early, advantages of green tea and how to build a habit to have it daily, exercise, how to find time to work on a hobby, good diet, travel tips and the list goes on.

I must say weight loss and working on fitness is not easy, Leo taught me how to be organized, manage time, prioritization in simple small steps. His posts get repetitive at times but I need that!
www.zenhabits.net - Read it and get inspired....

2. Books by Rujuta Diwekar - The more one reads on this topic the more number of theories confuse the mind. Some say eating frequent meals makes your body work all the time and some say eating small quantities after every 2-3 hours is the key to weight loss as our body can digest very small quantity at a time.
I like Rujuta's theory better, it suits my eating habits. Her books give me an affirmation that I am on a track that will work.

3. Perfect 10 Diet -  by Michael Aziz - Mind blowing book. It taught me the difference between food and food like products. A must read even if you don't want to lose weight.

Books that I didn't like - flat belly diet and Ultramind solution - This book is an advertisement of supplements. One might end up taking a bowl full of supplements if they plan to follow this book. A solution to each problem in life is some supplement according to the book. Little introspection is required if you have temper issues, no Gaba can help you with that.

Idiot box : part 3

7. Sherlock: Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous detective character till today. What I like about the new series Sherlock by BBC is this Sherlock has all the gadgets that are available in today's world. He is way faster, nimble and intelligent than the old Sherlocks. Why are there only three episodes in each season GAHHHHHHHH.

8. Death Note:  Clever, slick, suspenseful - anime at its best. It is an intellectual thriller with a complex plot and a story that is remarkably inventive. This will remain a classic forever, hopefully no one will attempt a remake!

9. Broadchurch: Simple town, simple people but not a simple murder. It is an emotional murder mystery.  I LOVED all the actors. Watching too many murder mysteries sometimes spoils the end for me (I ended up guessing who the murderer was in fourth episode).

10. 24 : 24 hours, Nuclear bombs, terrorist attacks and Jack Bauer taking care of everything. The show is pretty amazing. I watched 3 seasons and of course it gets repetitive. (loved the one starring Anil Kapoor). I am curious to watch the Indian version with Anil kapoor playing Jack Bauer.

(Part 1 covered: Black Mirror, Forbrydelsen, Game of Thrones. Part 2 covered: Orphan Black, The Fall, Homeland)

Before Revolution Happens

In the name of culture, traditions, beliefs, rules, regulations and rituals women get secondary treatment in India. They are controlled in every role that they play be it daughter, sister, wife, mother, daughter in law, mother in law, sister in law, grandmother and at times just for being a woman. They are oppressed and sadly not just by men.

Have you observed any Hindu wedding? Groom performs all the rituals in the wedding. Why aren't women allowed to perform half of the formalities? Whatever happens in life would be shared by both, why not even these customs? Do we still follow the same old protocols just because they are part of our tradition?

A woman is given her father's name and later on her husband's. It is a male dominated society and the naming convention is one of the way for them to keep it that way. Why isn't mother's name used anywhere in the child's name? After all she is the one doing the most difficult task of giving birth. Of course men would oppose to this change, their egos would be hurt otherwise.

When a girl gets married she is said to belong to the groom's family henceforth. I find this custom outdated. The bride and groom both have their respective families, they come together and build their own home - its all equal. Girls leave behind their home to start a new life while the Indian boys live all their life with uncut umbilical cords. Female foeticide will continue until we disprove the assumption that its only a boy who earns and takes care of parents in their old age.

Ladies are asked to wear black beaded necklace and Bindis if they are married while men don't. I don't get mad at men if they laugh at females who do not follow the traditions but I do pity those women who lecture other females on these conventions. These type of women think girls are inferior to men, they feel ashamed of their existence and to be born as a woman.

Couples living abroad go back to India to meet their families. Men spend all their time with their family and women are expected to do the same. Why are they forced to do that? They are close to their family as much as you are. They are desperate to spend time with their parents as much as you are. Why should they suppress their emotions and wishes? Because you are a man? Forget about injustice or unfairness, it doesn't even sound logical.


I see many women around me who do not have opinions, they mend and blend. They follow whatever they are asked for in the name of belonging to a specific gender role. They are considered true Indian women. They are defined, worshiped, identified, honored, idolized because of their sacrifice, motherly nature, obedience, submissiveness and for not questioning the family authorities - authority that is not based on right/wrong, justice/injustice but simply on power. Parents imbibe the importance of these so called qualities in their daughters. The very same characteristics stereotype, shackle and distort the image of women.

Lord Ram cut Shurpanakha's nose for showing sexual advances, we still  kill the dreams of half of our citizens. (Oh sorry, hundreds of females killed every day makes it less than half).

Every human being deserves equal rights be it man, woman, homosexual or transgender in every small thing that life has to offer. Revolution is going to happen soon. Call me heretic if you want because before revolution happens any liberal thinking is considered heretical.  

Audio Books

I loved it when my grandmother read me books. Listening to audio books feels the same - like someone is telling a story. I like the fact that I can listen to them while driving, exercising or taking care of chores in the house.

Review of a few audio books: 

1. The tipping point - Malcolm Gladwell

It is about how and why an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. I happen to read all books by Malcolm Gladwell, the ideas, subjects, examples in his books are quite interesting and distinct. Liked the book (3.5/5)

2. The magic of reality - Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward are the best narrators of all times. While listening to an audio book it is quite possible for the mind to drift away but their voice doesn't permit it, it binds the listener at all times. I love all books by Dawkins. If you haven't read any of his books yet then I highly recommend 'Selfish Genes' and 'The blind watchmaker'. (3.5/5)

3. Inferno - Dan Brown (Narrated by Paul Michael)

When I read 'Lost Symbol' I thought Dan Brown has lost the charisma but with Inferno he is back with a bang. Paul being an excellent narrator makes the audiobook more interesting. Inferno is the best fiction book I read this year (so far). Would love to watch a movie based on this book. (4/5)

4. History of the world -

I wish all history books in our syllabus were written like this book. For the first time in my life history was fun! I wish it covered history of more countries. (3.5/5)

5. The power of habit - Charles Duhigg

Very long book, could easily have been a 5 page article in some magazine. Boring examples which hardly help to support his theory. (1/5)