The Dark Knight: One another time, please!

The movie begins with that iconic shot, the 'Joker' standing with his mask in his left hand. And right then and there, it establishes the theme of the movie, with the Joker as the lead role, not the 'Batman'. Director Christopher Nolan has spoken of the movie and his handling of the editing as preparing an eulogy to the departed Heath Ledger and ensuring that what was so eerily portrayed by Ledger would come true on screen and would be recognised by audiences as the finest ever enaction of the character.

Make no mistake, the movie is much more about the Joker than Batman, and Nolan had to ensure that this came out subtly, even while letting Batman triumph in the end.

So many scenes from the movie will remain etched in my memory forever, recounting a few:

1. When the Batman battles his look-alikes, and is thrown from the car, he stands on the top of the railing preparing to drop. The way he climbs the railing, staggering a little, and so matter-of-factly like he's been doing right since coming out into this big-bad world, and the actual scene, where the camera goes above his head and follows him as he drops, Mindblowing! It's worth rewatching the movie even for just this scene alone!

2. The 'pencil-disappearing' magic-trick first establishes the nature of the mind behind the painted face. Hiding a simple and innocent pleasure in trying to one-up whatever it is that others think and do.

3. The first time he utters the phrase "WHY SO SERIOUS?" He says it so menacingly, it shakes my spine, no kidding! I don't know whether the voice used as the Joker is actually Heath's or is digitally altered, but the final editing as it comes out in the movie is so creepy, it deserves all the adulation it gets.

4. The 'sky-hook' in Hong Kong. Truly amazing in the way it got conceptualised. Simple and deviant. Even the Joker would have been proud of that.

5. "We are tonight's entertainment!!" What a way to capture the nonchalance of the Joker. He makes fun of himslef in a way that is scary to people around him! Also the accompanying gesture he makes- smoothing his hair when Rachel confronts him- a classic! if not for the situation, it would make for perfect date-behaviour!

6. The 'Bat-mobile turns to Bat-bike!' Incredible was what I thought when I saw the bike finally break out of the Bat-mobile as a separate piece. I remember watching "Batman Begins" and marveling at the design of the bat-mobile. The design is such that it seems really tough and no-nonsense, all-terrain vehicle, something you don't wanna mess with. And then you are hit with this one, pure-magic! One would be wholely forgiven for calling that bike design 'gorgeous'

7. The 'truck-overturn scene' No words to describe this scene. Just pure charisma. And the subsequent scene where the Joker stands his ground as Batman comes charging on his bike. Just another instance of the diabolical mind and brilliant psychologist behind the veil of a clown-faced fool.

8. The 'Joker-interrogation' The way the Joker laughs and utters, "you have nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do, with all your strength!" And the smirk on the Joker's face says it all, he is enjoying it! I have read in an interview given by Christopher Nolan (Director) that this was the first scene shot for this movie, and that it established the tone of the movie from thereon, with the Joker toying with Batman, Harvey, and Gotham City.

9. "So in a way, I know your friends than you ever did!" The psychologist at it again. And that little 'tongue-flick' he does every now and then, scary.

10. "I just want my phone-call!" Watch out for the innocence in his voice as he makes his request!

11. "Hi!" the look on the Joker's face. watch this scene again.


These are only a few of the many iconic dialogues brought out in the movie, nearly every word of sentences spoken by Sir Michael Caine's Alfred is so beautifully structured, it is as if the words are just the URLs, with an entire site linked behind it! (Yes, that's true!)

The above are just facets of the screenplay, the direction is exemplary. A batman scorner will bring out facets like the fight sequences, which might seem a bit robotic on critical analysis, but that is the whole point, this is the BATMAN! and he CAN beat this guys to pulp, he does not need to know kung-fu to do that.

But what carries the movie through despite its insane length (running time of two and a half hours) is the vision of Christopher Nolan. With the story on a knife's edge the whole movie, he leaves you just one step behind in every plot, you are second guessing yourself at every juncture and marvelling at how the plot unfolds after every rivetting scene.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing can distract from this movie with the amazing cinematography, the darkness in the plot, the continual hope for Gotham City, the uncertainty in Batman's future, the seeming invincibility of the Joker's tricks. There's nothing I can do, with all the movies around, to distract me from being partial to The Dark Knight. It is a masterpiece, and deserves to be called so. The Oscars should have been a forgone conclusion, and in my heart, it already has.

And long past this Oscar season, I will still be watching for the 'nth' time, - The Dark Knight.

Why we should not be enthused with the MacBook Air

Recently, many of the people I have met and have discussed Apple products with have been ecstatic with news of the MacBook Air. And I can't help but always advise them against deciding to purchase it. I will try to illustrate why it is one of the most unsuitable laptops for those of us who are not yet in an environment of Wi-Fi networks and hence making do without the use of CDs/DVDs.

No LAN port: Can you imagine that? In India, and more so in the state of Arunachal, the availability of Wi-Fi is not so great, to understate it gently. And this means, either you have to invest in one of the Wi-Fi routers in case you are content to use your Air at home; but then, isn't the Air supposed to be ultra-portable and meant to be carried around?

No CD/DVD Drive: Are you kidding me? In this part of the world, that would sound the death knell for a laptop. With movie watching the primary usage of the laptop for the student population, the CD is the ubiquitous mode of data-transfer. And while the USB drives have made a good appearance, they are obviously not the cheapest storage option compared to DVDs available for 20 rupees. This would have been ok if Wi-Fi was available everywhere, but then..

Lack of a user-replaceable battery: The battery that comes with the MacBook Air is attached to the unit. In other words, when the battery conks out, then the only option will be to send it to the Apple factory to get it fitted with a new battery! Which is exactly what I am most unwilling to do with all the data on my comp not to speak of the pira**d softwares.

In all, it is not a bad product for where it was manufactured, i.e. countries with adequate Wi-Fi networks and stuff, but, for us, here, well.. not right now please.

Biting the Apple

I have been a tech-geek for as long as I can care to remember, and one of the things you will notice about us is our idolizing of the Mac as the revered god of all things 'computerial'. This week saw the launch of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. But frankly, the newer models lessened my intention to one day own a Mac. The 'new' Macs to me seem more like one of the zillions of laptops running the standard MS Windows or some derivative of Linux OSs.

The fine line between Apple and others, I believe, stemmed from its refusal to lean to the masses. While the rest of the world went after an array of models concentrating on various configurations to suit every type of computer user, Apple had just 3 models of laptops (MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro – as of before the launch of new models earlier this week), with 2 options in each of them. What this did was to build in an identity that we could relate to, something I call, Mac-like. Their design philosophy was based on the minimalistic, and the serene white panels all over their models. The colour was reserved only for what was displayed on the screen.

Also, the obvious close integration between their hardware and software made the Macs what they were - Macs.

Going to the masses has brought in enormous popularity for Apple, not least because of the universal iPod. However, this has come at the cost of pandering out to the common masses and the quality we always have associated with a Mac has taken a beating. Recent customer complaints which are only growing in number is testament to this fact.

Now it does not even seem worth taking the new MacBook which comes loaded with great graphics and features, which are exactly what is touted by so many others.

But the point of this post is, I did not dare buy the Mac when I was younger, because they command a significant premium over the regular laptops and I would be spending my parent's money on it. And now when I am getting to the point where I can decide on one or two things where I do not have to be hard on my money's worth, Macs are no longer Macs (sigh!)

Second Life

Is that the name of that online app? Sorry, unintended similarity there. What I wanted to refer to is just the fact that my second coming is on the anvil. I can positively feel it rising inside me. That hunger I had during my childhood days to lay my hands on as many books as possible (collecting actually, 'cos i am a crab and that's what crabs do as i have been told).

This has been triggered by the recent reading renaissance observed by my flat-mate and his unabashed love for fantasy novels (the LOTR kind). While I had built up this opinion that reading them was a waste, I cannot help but marvel at how can someone (he is older than me) still have the patience to read through it? It set me thinking a lot.

I still remember having read nearly all the classics by the time I was in the seventh standard. And it always bothers me; Is that the reason for the current lull in my reading life? The fact that I had read all these tomes at such an age and hence undergone the process of leafing through great books without having gone through enough in life to be able to understand and relate to it. Or should it be the other way round that everything in life that I encountered has been tempered by those readings?

These thoughts have been with me for the last few years, but today I hit upon the solution. These are philosophical ramblings, and no amount of pondering would be enough to generate an answer. So the best thing is, read on; but only when you enjoy it, don't think of forcing yourself to fall asleep with a book clutched in your hand with only the second page reached.

I am off to buy one! and thanks for all of you who visit once in a while, 'cos I believe having to write makes you need to read! and for that i say thanks, again. cya all in a while.

this has got to stop!

The funniest thing happened (according to me, i.e.). Last night i dreamt that I was at the office working on a Deal Slip for **** for further management approval. I dreamt that I had mailed a wrong version of the file to a person and also on top of it had already marked the mail to the CEO.

And then I woke up.

I mean, dreaming of office work at night? Am I going crazy? Is this healthy? All sorts of questions are ringing in my mind as to what is happening to me and whether this is right.

Any suggestions anyone?

Mumbai (Mis)adventures - I

Some of my most painful moments since arriving in Mumbai apart from the rain and traffic have been in relation to services.

On first reaching here and attending the induction, I was told that I would have to open a salary account since they didn't deal with my Axis bank account. So I signed up with SBI who had a counter there because the ICICI guy had left for lunch and I dint want to wait idly. (I was to regret this later.)

Now, I also was told to get a new mobile connection since this number would be mapped to my employer ID. Did that.

And I was told to get my PAN card ASAP.

Now, the fun began.

When later I was checking my mobile bill on the net, I was amazed to find that my mobile connection has been registered against my father's name! Some crazy data-entry operator had mistakenly seen the 'Father's Name' column while filling in names in the database. (grr!!)

Then when I had to apply for a pan-card, the guy said I needed an address-proof (either a passport or the postpaid-mobile address details) and since I did not have a passport, and my mobile was registered under my father's name so this was out of the question.

So I asked mum for sending me a bank statement which had my local address on it.

On the last day of the month my colleagues started getting their salary in their accounts, I checked mine and it showed - Zero rupees. I enquired why and find out the company was dealing with SBI for the first time and there were some issues. (grr!!) It was resolved after a week and thankfully I had the money in my account. And then I forgot the password. The reason is, the password in SBI net-banking needs to include a special character in addition to characters and numbers (Grr!!) and with 8 bank accounts already crowding my head with ATM-pins, customer-ID numbers, customer-ID names, bank-account numbers, net-banking usernames, net-banking passwords, I guess I can forget a number once or twice. So I reset the password using a facility they provided which said it would get changed and the new password would arrive by post in a week. (sigh!) I got the password a week later.

Now one fine day I check my account on the internet and it shows 700 rupees. Further scrutiny revealed that the rest of the amount had been transferred to a deposit account with a maturity period of 1 year (for my own benefit I was told by the bank)
Someone reassured me that I could draw out this amount in the interim period also, so I tried online-transfer to my bank account back home. So I encountered this facility where when you register a payee for online-transfer, you have to validate this account by entering a code that you receive through an SMS on your phone. And I saw that the phone number mapped in this account was the one I had at home and that I no longer had it. So I tried changing the phone number and it said that it has sent an SMS to my OLD number to validate this new number (GRRR!!!!) I called up the branch manager and informed her of the problem; she said the phone number change cannot be done now because of whatever reason but that she will validate the transfer request if I wanted to. I said "SURE! That’s why I went to all this trouble in the first place!"

So I decided that I should change to ICICI bank because they have an existing relationship with my company. Now, I called up their representative and a person came and got my account-opening form filled up and took it back. A week passed and my colleague who had opened along with me got his account activated whereas mine still showed "Dormant" (grr!!!) So I call up the agent and he said my form has been rejected because I listed a hotel as my permanent address. I explained patiently to him that it was owned by my family but he wouldn't listen, so I said I could provide him another address without a hotel in it. So the agent came down again and I refilled the form.

So far so good.

Now I had to get my PAN card made. The guy came in and unlike the previous one, he said he will get it done even though my mobile was not in my name and I did not have a passport. He took a copy of my driving license and my Employee-ID and took out a letter from the HR certifying my appointment in the company. He said we will get our PAN numbers in a week.

A week passed and still no news. I called him and he said the copy which he took of my Driving License did not include the page on the validity of the license. (grr!!) So I called him, he came in again and took out a copy with all details.

Next I needed a data-card, to access the internet, and the guy comes in, says it’s very easy, it works just like another mobile number and that I only had to give him a bill of my existing mobile connection. I remembered my connection is in my father’s name. (Grr!) with a flash of inspiration I said then can I take the Data-card in my father’s name? And the guys says, “Sure, as long as your father is also an employee here!” So I somehow arrange for another letter from the HR who is by now pained by my frequent requests, so I just tell him this is the last time.
And so, a good 2 months later, all systems are up and running. Until the next time, I guess. (sigh!)

Some Useful Changes

The new template is slowly but surely taking shape now. Have added the tag cloud and got rid of annoying borders I had got with the template I downloaded. Have the 'peek-a-boo' nav-bar in place (take your cursor to the top of the page to see it :) )

Next step is to secure a header image in place and then a decent background which will complete my basic setup other than the supplementary widgets like polls and comments.

BTW, have been doing this since am stuck with no work for two days. (Taking advantage of the connection at office rather than labour on the free dial-up over my mobile.)

Will modify other elements soon, keep watching this space.

World Toothbrushing Record!

How long do you need to brush your teeth in the morning?

One minute? 2 minutes? 5? 10? by now you must be viewing this post with skepticism but believe it or not I used to regularly brush for an hour everyday during engineering. To save you from the effort of having to imagine the state of my teeth, let me just explain that this happened due to a dear friend of mine.

He was actually one year senior to me but we used to be able to have long talks anytime we met up - in my room, the stairs, hallway, TV room, dining table, bathroom even! Our favorite though was the porch in front of the hostel where we would stand brushing and talking, talking and brushing, brushing and talking... and by God, was it useful! We used to discuss each and everything under the Sun and try and make sense to each other. Of course it helped that shared the same hostel and by virtue of being just junior to him, I was second in hierarchy in everything from getting the Hostel Prefect post to the livers saved separately from the chicken kept for everyone in the mess.

But yeah, the brushing habit built up then has been nagging me till now and now my fiance has a great time taking fun out of the duration of my brushing, ah! pity those who seldom get the pleasure of taking time out, and brushing for pleasure.

May God give them knowledge!