Julie and Julia

The movie is based on a young writer stuck in an unpleasant job at the call center. To do something she enjoys, she decides to cook every recipe in "mastering the art of french cuisine" by Julia Child in a year. She decides to write a blog to motivate herself and document her progress. Slowly she gets so consumed by her blog that she puts everything, including her married life at stake.


Coincidentally, the story is also peppered with scenes of 1950s of Julia Child,an unbashed and enthusiastic woman, who is absolutely fond of eating. she enrolls herself to the cordon bleu institute, later collaborating on a book, which went on to become "mastering the art of french cuisine".
The relationships of both women is shown beautiful. Especially between Julia and Paul Child. his absolute devotion of Julia without being meek. Constantly encouraging, but also consoling her when things go wrong. I especially liked the scene where she gets a letter from her sister, stating the other is expecting a baby, unable to have one her self, she almost whispers to him, half crying, half laughing. "but I am happy Paul...I really am".
Somehow, the actors acting Julia Child and Paul Child's role are so good and so perfect, that Julie Powell's role is completely shadowed by them.


Incidentally the movie is based on a blog (The julie/Julia project) and later a book (Julie and Julia, 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny kitchen that was later retitled Julie and Julia :my year of cooking dangerously).


Meryl Streep has acted so perfect as Julia Child, right from mannerisms, the stature and even the airy fluted voice. it seems as if she is Julia Child incarnate.
Stanly Tucci as Paul Child, inspite of his limited screen time, compliments Meryl streep's Julia Child and so does Stanley Tucci as Julie Powell (Linda Emond) 's husband. Another role that was too limited but I liked was Simone Beck's role.
I wont be amazed that I see this movie again. But of course, it will be only for Meryl Streep.
The next movie in pipeline for me (of course on monday for uninterruped viewing) is Saving Mr. Banks starring my two favourites, Emma Thompson and of course Hollywood Aamir khan mr. Tom Hanks.


Next review will ofcourse be a book...or maybe a movie or maybe a song..who knows...just hope procrastination doesnot possess me

An unfinished life

Netflix has become a boon for me. more than the earlier package of hindi programmes of which I saw only a few programmes on sony sab. After noticing my disinterest in the same, we stopped the subscription.  Incidentally around the same time my better (?) half's smarty pants brother, who had a Netflix connection then, added better (?) half as one of the users and voila, we had Netflix now.


There were quite a afew programmes that I saw, including some that I can watch again and again. All of these programmes deserve a small post of their own. but I started this post on a movie called "an unfinished life".


The story is based on a man who lost his son, and who shelters his abused daughter in law and his grand child.


The story is slow paced, just like the lush landscape of "Wyoming", the background location for the story.


The story starts with yet another confrontation, a physical abuse and later a mother and daughter duo going by car. The car breaking down at night, and no other vehicle in sight. The long barren road reminding me of I15 of Nevada. Finally they get a ride on a bike and taking only essentials they head to Wyoming, where the twelve year olds suddenly existing paternal grandfather resides. they get to stay for a month in the rather shabby basement of his home. incidentally the grandfather is tending for his friend mauled by a bear. too many ghosts in the closet. Slowly, thanks to the twelve year old, the old wounds are healed and the final confrontation, where the grandfather teaches the abusive ex boyfriend a thing or two (my favorite scene).


I strangely liked ageing Robert Redford . He has acted real good, as gruff and grieving father. the twelve year old innocence and Jenifer Lopez's strong single mother. But what I absolutely loved was Morgan Freeman in the role of Mitch, a disfigured but strong willed friend, who speaks his mind and slowly helps in healing of Einar's (Robert Redford) emotional wounds. Along with the confrontation scene, and another one where Robert Redford simply tells his daughter in law to come back if she is interested, I liked the scene where the released bear (incidentally the one that mauled Mitch and one who was released by Einar, following Mitch's request), sees Mitch. Morgan Freeman has shown a strange mix of fear and strength, of someone putting a brave front but internally shivering. the bear goes back to his wilderness.


I saw this movie twice. Once complete and once only for scenes. I may not see it again, but if I do, it will be for Morgan Freeman.


  

Anhonee (1952) and Raat aur din (1967)

I have always liked black and white movies. While some of them are real masterpieces in which Dilip Kumar has controlled acting or Raj Kapoor is not Charlie chaplin copy. I have liked few others and while I have respect for Meena kumari and Madhubala, their one track acting actually gives me tickles (read dil ek mandir and Tarana). Nutan and Geeta Bali were always beautiful and equally good actresses and another one who stood her ground with her acting was Nargis.


The reasons I liked her were not looks, which according to me were not very lovely and Madhubala took the cake. While madhubala lacked acting department and meena kumari too intense, Nargis managed to stay her ground and most of the times put that little extra in her roles. and ofcourse even her copy in Sanju (read Manisha Kohirala) couldn't duplicate was her innocent smile. She could appear lovable , feisty but at the same time no over melodrama that most of the actresses of that era were capable of. And as much as I explore her films, I see that the roles she took were diverse too. and she appeared different in each of her films, which was a rare feat in those days, where the women's roles were always monochromed with melodrama.


The first film, I would like to discuss is "Anhonee" . Now there are two Anhonees and I saw the one directed in 1952. Easily available on youtube. The reason for this post and movie was ofcourse a song sung by Talat Mehmood "main dil hoon ek armaan bhara". The google search led me to this movie and which I read the synopsis I was intrigued. The film tried to show (a little bit sloppily ) the influence environment has on an individual's growth and even if you are born with a set of genes, environment has almost equal impact on the individual. I have studied this in psychology and  we used twin study as base.
In the film, the dual roles played by Nargis, (the good one, Roop, the bad one Mohini) are step sisters, one legitimate and other illegitimate. Coincidentally both look same or similar. Of course, it must have been difficult to procure someone similar in looks as Nargis. The taboo of working in films still existed. It would have been easier now, with so many girls imitating their favorite film stars and want to enter the films. Anyways, enough of the digressions. So these two girls are switched at birth, the legitimate one goes on to work as courtesan and illegitimate one stays with her father, who till they grow up, doesnot know about it. He dies later due to shock and the courtesan sister manipulates the other into marrying the love of her life. Raj Kapoor in rare non OTT role.
The stark difference between two sisters, from mannerisms, to mentality, portrayed so accurately by Nargis made me see the film to the end. to the end the bad one does not have a change of heart. that's the best part. I always laugh when they show that villains change (what we see is just one side of the story anyways, from the hero's angle), have a 360 degree turn of heart and just change when every human knows that real human nature rarely changes. So my question here is does the villain have true change of heart or does he wait for an opportunity to strike back?
Anyways, the next film is Raat aur din (1967) when Nargis was a bit aged or maybe she was married then, a bit old. Superb acting nevertheless. This movie is based on dissociative personality disorder which Nargis in the film faces. While in the day time she is docile home maker Varuna, night time becomes Peggy, a woman frequenting clubs, drinks , dances, sings and enjoys the night. Her husband is played by Pradeep Kumar and her lover (Peggy role) by Feroz Khan. But what I liked was how effortlessly Nargis played two diametrically opposite personalities, which just like a flick of switch just change. And who can forget the haunting melody, "raat aur din diya jale.."

Maybe a little bit primitive and not very polished by todays standards but according to me, real good for watching them for the uniqueness they have in b/w treasure.

A lovely song after a a real long time.

Yesterday I was out with my better(?) half and pilla for the final grocery round up (final since I had been twice before in the weekend. Each time feeling final. Sometimes couldn't buy some things but others because of huge quantity or someone saying buy elsewhere). I have become an opposite of what I was when I came here. Earlier, I wanted to be out both on Saturdays and Sundays. Even if it is in Walmart, doing some mindless (read food) shopping. Of course most of these explorations reached delicious end (biscuit mix, cake mix, chocolates, cookies, juices, breakfast bars etc). But in due course all of this lost its allure. with pilla howling and better (?) plain annoyed at shopping sprees, they slowly lessened, as much as the will to shop. though better (?) half's wish is yet to be fulfilled at shopping under one roof (we do need indian vegetables at times and at this store, milk and fruits seem charged extra ) so we do "indian" shopping once in two weeks and weekly groceries either at trader joes or shoprite and when we were in west coast my favourite smiths...(which was so complete that it sustained us for 6 months. Indian stores there were BAD, for which I will write another ranting post).

The summary of whole digression is that we do grocery shopping one day a week, mostly Saturdays. Sundays are spent the same way. At home. Pilla with his tv or book or hotwheels, or some times Mikael Schumacher on scooty, me with Duolingo or one of the more alluring books that the library here has to offer or on mobile or just staring out in space, sometimes with a cup of tea. The better (?) half in his haven called bed, warming the bed and the blanket aswell, reading something on mobile, flicking mobile or just plain napping. (He has hard weekdays :()


 But this week it was not meant to happen, so off we went for milk and fruits to shoprite. And as always better(?) half put on some songs. I like "Roy" songs and action Jackson ( gangster baby and chichora only) but when he put on kedarnath, I wondered, I liked the songs but not something I would like to hear in a dreary car journey, sacrificing a few hours of my precious me time before dinner prep, duolingo hung up due to lack of wifi, unmade tea waiting for flick of gas and daylight saving end (clock reset) making me think that I am perpetually one hour behind schedule, and the cherry of the cake, cold rainy day, the sky horribly grey and ready to vomit water, the way it was raining as if its on diarrhea...phurphur... Almost sulking I turned my head from the window where I saw real grubby snow I almost told my better(?) half to change the song to something more beats so that my self wont be so miserable and then the almost bhajan (religious songs but not filmy music ones) song started floated. closing my widening eyes I tried to recollect the song. I didn't remember much but some film shots in peppered in the song. Melancholy and worries slowly started melting away, hearing the music and lyrics.


As I started getting deeper in music and lyrics , I asked better (?) half the singer name. "is it Amit Trivedi?" I asked him. in contrast to earlier day singers with distinct voices like Kishore kumar, mohd. Rafi to Shaan and KK, current gen X singer's voices just meld together. there are too many and some of them very familiar to each other. "yes he is ". he said, checking the singer name in playlist. Amit Trivedi has a different, unrefined but soulful a bit rough edged voice, He is more of a composer (different and lovely music. I can never forget Unkahee of Looterey, which incidentally he has sung as well).


Currently due to varied reasons I am in spirituality. More of a student and someone who likes to follow the path than someone who does it because it has to be done. no questions. And telling mythology stories to pilla when he is half asleep is a legacy taken forward. I am my dada and pilla is me.


The song is a "bhakti geet" and it describes the adidev, mahadev so well, that I almost was misty eyed with devotion the first time I heard it.


I heard it so many times today that I am either humming it or its ringing in my head. Not every one may find it good, but for me this song is keeps...for me atleast, just like Ankahee. Both the composition and lilting voice of Amit Trivedi and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Guess I am going to listen it again....


Here are the lyrics:


Namo namo (Film : Kedarnath)


Jai ho jai ho shankara... aadi deva shankara...
Tere jaap ke bina chale ye saans kis tarah
Mera karm tu hi jaane
Kya bura hai kya bhalaa
Tere raaste pe main toh aankh moond ke chalaa
Tere naam ki jot ne saara har liya tamas mera...
Namo namo ji shankara bholenath shankara
Hey triloknath Shambhu hey Shivay Shankara
Namo namo ji Shankara Bholenath Shankara
Rudradev hey Maheshvara
Srishti ke janam se bhi... o...
Pehle tera vaas tha.. o...
Ye jag rahe ya naa rahe.... o....
Rahegi teri aastha... O.....
Kya samay... kya parlay
Dono mein teri mahaanta
Mahaanta mahaanta....
Seepiyon ki ontt main
Motiyon ho jis tarah
Mere mann mein Shankara
Tu basa hai uss tarah
Mujhe bharam tha jo hai mera
Tha nahi kabhi mera
Arth kya nirarth kya jo bhi hai sabhi tera
Tere saamne hai jhuka
Mere sar pe haath rakh tera
Namo namo ji shankara bholenath shankara
Hey triloknath Shambhu hey Shivay Shankara
Namo namo ji Shankara Bholenath Shankara
Rudradev hey Maheshvara
O Rudradev o Maheshvara
Chandrama lalaat pe
Bhasm hai bhujaaon mein
Vastra baagh chhal ka...
Hai khaadau paanv mein
Pyaas kya aur tujhe
Gaanga hai teri jataaon mein
Jataaon mein.. jataaon mein.. jataaon mein...
Doosron ke waste
Tu sadiaive hai jiya
Maanga kuch kabhi nehi
Tune sirf hai diya
Samundra manthan ka tha samay jo aa pada
Dwand dono lok mein vishamrit pe tha chida
Amrit se bhi main baant ke pyaala vish ka tuune piya...
Namo namo ji shankara bholenath shankara
Hey triloknath Shambhu hey Shivay Shankara
Namo namo ji Shankara Bholenath Shankara
Rudradev hey Maheshvara
Rudradev hey Maheshavara
Rudradev hey Maheshavara


(Music and singer : Amit Trivedi, writer :Amitabh Bhattacharya)

Weaning off sugar.

I always tried to maintain healthy weight. and managed to do that successfully. A natural salad lover (with choice of so many dressings), and a vegetarian helped me do that anyways. But I had a vice which got full blown in US. Chocolate. and having a really indulging spouse was a real problem. he never uttered "how many are you going to eat" or "aren't you eating too many chocolates??". one of the reason being he is very forgiving when I spend on eating (overall as well since i don't have much affinity for anything else except books for which he is equally forgiving ) and a bit rare on pretty pair of shoes (not that forgiving). god...I am digressing so much. so whenever I go for any grocery and non grocery shopping, I invariably wind up to the candy lane and most of the times I end up with my weakness...chocolate but not any chocolate but dark one or white one (never a milk unless the filling or brand is good) and if it has filling then all the more possibility of buying (except of course, Tofay and Mamba). Over the time I came to know why people like Lindt and why do dollar store chocolates taste more pasty than Ghirardelli. maybe I could write personal research on it ...the effect was what I expected. a deeper dimple in the cheek and a tire on midriff that even daily brisk walking was not helping. and I was clueless. wondering what is it that I am eating that's making me balloon. As much as I wanted to I couldn't blame age (my mother is trim for her age even now) or hypothyroidism (my levels were normal with the tablet I took every morning). When I slowly started getting breathless as I finished half walk, I couldn't only blame on sinuses that made a half melted "kulfi" in my nose that threatened to come out if I didn't breathe it in. a tissue was not helping. Slowly all reasons getting ticked off. I came across the thing that I did motivated forgetting for. A sweet pang after lunch or before pilla came to school. That once opened, didn't stop after two pieces but whole bar. Sometimes sitting with a big bar in front of Netflix, and eating mindlessly. As I realized that even intermittent fasting and banning fast food and eating real and wholesome food is not helping, I started tracking calories. But I lost interest soon. Then one fine day, along with my morning quiet tea I read about an obese man who lost almost 150 pounds by banning one ingredient from his diet and that was in big and bold SUGAR. haha. now I wondered if I am eating more . and rather than denying what my logical mind said, I started noticing. I had banned ice-creams few weeks back. but chocolates stayed lurking in the top most corner of a corner cupboard. The place where pilla came and stood and wondering how to ask for a snack just before lunch or dinner. next to a tin box where I kept my emergency cash of few hundred dollars. they included dollar store dark chocolate raspberry, milk and some Italian chocolates from ocean job lot, Tofay and sometimes Lindt (offer of 5$ for two bars of white or dark richness, sometimes with coconut) from Walgreens and the death of me, dark chocolate with almonds from trader joes. Most other contenders had got over in my hurried gluttony, to satisfy a sugar urge  and what remained now were a bar and a pack of three of trader joes dark chocolate almonds that winked at me each time I opened the door.

1. The first step became : arranging the bars a bit behind on top corner cupboard a bit hidden. though the brain knew, I wanted them out of plain sight.
2. The second step became : bringing better options in. my another favorite: dried dates. fresh fruits like oranges.  a tangy sweet candy called "pulse" which  noticed satisfied my craving with maximum two candies (and they were hazardous if I ate more since  they scraped the insides of mouth real bad.
3. The third step became: counting the days. I started on last Friday (8th march 2019). and I wanted to see my self succeed for a month (8th april 2019)
4. The fourth step became: planning. Don't visit "empty stomach" in food stores and even if you do, DONT go to candy section.
5. The fifth step became: let the tofay in car stay in car (glove compartment). added bonus is my better (?) takes the car so no temptation throughout the day. 

Most of these steps were already given by dieticians and doctors. And as much as I read about nutrition, right food and diet, procrastination rarely made me follow them completely. But have to now, especially now when I am almost 40 and diabetes runs in family, lurking in next corner.

When blog became a show off medium to show off whatever your behaviour...

I love to read blogs. These are mostly food related (read 99%). Though I will still cook dal, chawal and wont even think of attempting something exotic, pas de peur but mostly lack of inclination (yes I am the epitome of laziness and lack of interest), I read these blogs mostly for a lovely write up or story they write. There is my all time favorite David lebovitz ,a san Francisco chef who shifted to France a few years back (and whose books I request as birthday gift. I have three of them now). who writes so lovely and humorous accounts, often with different expressions and sarcasm that I can go on and on reading about him. I have a well thumbed "my sweet life in Paris" that I have carried to endless road trips to far off never lands in US. I have never found any other chef as witty and funny, who writes so well. not just using "Shashi Tharoor" English but using English the right way to create a humerous take on food and life in general. He is just so adorable. (PS: he is almost 60 and has a stable and more cute partner, so adorable doesnot mean the other way). Then there is bongmom of bongmom cookbook (who also has a book published in that name). she starts where mr David leaves off. she is a notch above in humor and helps me whenever my better half (?) half demands for mustard based or Bengali oriented food. (A jharkhandi who has a heavily Bengal infuenced food habits). A few more like "a Wednesday chef" and orangeatte (whose books I have liked as well )Kichukhonn and memorie d'angelina (very approachable) and some which I flick once a while (ruchik randhap and aayis recipes...more recipe and not much story).


I look forward to new posts from these blogs and a few more not mentioned here. However I noticed a lot of mediocre writers with neither the flow of language nor story nor technique of writing entering the blog world maybe because their near ones encouraged them to write the blog. these self proclaimed foodies who dont even care to write the right foreign word if they are mentioning it (choriz instead of chorizo stays in my mind). One of the blogger who incidently comes as a guest judge (he neither has formal education in food nor a restaurant nor a crtically acclaimed cookbook nor knowledge and real mediocre writing) on one of the shows in  "khana khazana" channel. the fault lies in who? in channel or just indian bloggers who scratch each others backs in attempt to get famous. I am still wondering.
The another one is an ex colleague. No I am neither resentful nor jealous. My blog neither has comment section open nor is available on google search. I deactivated that option the moment I started my blog. a selected few have the link to my blog and they have no right to comment ;). the fact that I spoke to her just last Friday and she "casually" mentioned about her blog and her "eliteness"  emanating from her cocktail party talk where I spoke for 15 minutes in a 50 minutes talk , where I was cut several times and after a while it just became a hmm, ohh, OK, wow conversation from my end. Her so called passion for food, her condescending talks on anything from marital life to food and not reading anything worth mentioning. I kept the phone and like a true IN** person, went to a true friend for relaxing and no talking. I came back to a thin crust dominos pizza which my pilla enjoyed the most of his two pieces and I went to sleep....early :):)


Incidently I read her blog a few days back when she has sent me a link and this thought process came to existence. Just because you think you are, doesnot mean that you are. True, everyone has  right to explore but please don't flaunt and fish for compliments...some people (read me) are allergic and don't like it. psst...keep it a secret.

Starting a new year post in march with meyer-briggs and wondering...

"You are an introvert??" were the words of wonder from my better(?) half's mouth. he wondered how this lady who chattered the ears out, seemed to be comfortable in outings and social events, laughed and shared, was an introvert and even leaving that, hated social events in the first place. "I don't want to go...i don't feel like going" is my first statement the day of the event. after the usual cool headed better (?) half, knowing after so many years what to say, I just wish internally that I fall sick bad. but being married to another introvert, who given a chance will prefer to stay with his cellphone than social events (who has sent me more than once to a social and or family event alone, because of his discomfort), I know even if I fall sick, I have to grab a paracetamol and with my kid go to the event. At the event, unless I have a close friend, I wonder when lunch or dinner will happen and glance at better (?) half for cues to leave.


Meyers briggs is a psychological test which is robust and valid (not some quack test that comes in some women magazines), the access to which I had when I was completing my masters in psychology from IGNOU. We always used such tests on us, and write the results. my personality type came as "IN**" (I don't want to reveal too much of that) the I standing for introvert.


As much as I bluffed my self to life and people, I know my self too well to agree with the results. I chatter with any tom dick and harry but I am more happy with my self. I hate social events but my mask reveals otherwise and when I come home, I crash in the bed with emotional exertion. I have few real friends and others think that I am a good friend of theirs. I don't cheat here for them to believe but I have a good ear for allowing them to speak. Funny right...but I am happy, with this test, atleast some aspects of my self, which were confusing even to me are revealed.