Hola 2013 !!

Hello Dear Readers,

Wish you a very happy new year (since I have not posted on the blog after Christmas Day). Hope 2013 has treated you well till date, and it only gets better hereon.

The world hasn't ended, and I don't know if it is a good thing or bad. The current state of affairs, hyped rapes and crimes - humanity has definitely ended, and maybe that is what the Mayans suggested in the first place...

Me? I have been up to loads of stuff this past fortnight. 

A marvelous new year eve with my better half Akhilesh Singh, my bro-in-law Aditya and best best buddy Rakshith Shetty, followed by some unbearable sh*t at work, and family get-togethers, and real estate dreams. Quite a bit of reading as well - Asura and Once Upon the tracks of Mumbai; plus exploring options for a more prosperous and peaceful life...

Watched the Bollywood movie Table No. 21 starring Rajeev Khandelwal and Paresh Rawal, and totally loved it. The turn of events was fairly predictable, but nevertheless, a movie well made. (And Talaash and Breaking Dawn Part 2 before that - all paisa vasool) 

Did I tell you I bought a Micromax phone? Don't ask me the model and blah, I'm no good at it. All I know is that it's way cheaper than other similar models by Samsung and Nokia, and way better. It's a good successor to my beloved Samsung Champ (Champu) which I have, of late, stopped missing. Regular visits to the neighboring Phoenix mall have also ensured a steady inflow of clothes and doughnuts. Bliss !! 

To drive away the midweek blues, my hubby took me to Mulshi and we had a fabulous time there. Must say, this guy's really moving from good to great, and no day goes by without my feeling extremely fortunate to have him to love and call my own. When he makes a stone skip 16 times in the water, and when he is praised by my family and friends, I go wheeeeeeee and wow and yippeeeee. Boy genius !!

So, that in a nutshell has been my very busy life this year-to-date.

And here's another book review as evidence of your efforts in making this blog so popular and successful...

This time, it's an "alternative fiction" novel by Rishi Vohra - a book titled "Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai" by Jaico Publishers. The author approached me for my opinion on the book, and here it is! Star rating : 6 on 10 for those who don't enjoy my book reviews too much. For the bookworms, below is a detailed evaluation.

A young man with psychological problems wants to set his life right and doesn't quite know how. He is fully aware of what he wants, but like most folks, does not realise how he has to go about achieving it all. His lady love is clueless about his amorous feelings, and given his mental condition, wooing a chic is not amongst his top skills. He is in top shape physically, and he puts that to good use by being a superhero of sorts, something that happens quite by accident and hives his life meaning and direction. 

That his family does not support or appreciate him complicates his life and screws his mood several times, but he is a dedicated and good-hearted chap. Finally, goodness triumphs over evil, and our "Rail Man" gets all that was destined to be his, job and house and love and affection. 

The engaging writing is the highlight of this otherwise mediocre script. I would have loved to see more of the schizophrenic side of the protagonist in the plot, and it would have been terrific had the team dramatized a few scenes further. I enjoyed the jail stint by the protagonist - not a bad idea to base a sequel on that. But the end was downright ridiculous. Not going to tell you what, though it ain't hard to guess... Silly, by any sensible woman's standards!! 

A masala movie, which is in the offing, might entertain audiences, but does not guarantee to leave them spell-bound. My recommendation to fix that - focus less on Vandana and more on Babloo. Give him more character, make him more menacing than he is, or at least that "friend" of his. 

The family scenes and climax are typical and that's not a bad thing at all. Indian families thrive on melodrama and mundaneness. The villain Sikander has also been portrayed pretty well. I am certain that a film would be remarkably better than the book. Depending on who is cast and who writes the dialogues...

Having said that, I love the author's website, and I wish him all the luck ahead. Good debut :-)

And I wish all of you guys the same... Loads of love, luck and laughter to make this year the best one until the next. May you get all that your heart and head desires. Be good !!

Cheerio!
Princess