PC's 11 minutes & Veronika decides to die

All my family visits are finally over and I am free and I got to finish 2-3 books this weekend. Phew!..But wow! Its fun to get back to undisturbed reading time. My time!. Here are the what I felt abt the PC's book.

Eleven Minutes : Didnt expect this book from Mr.PC. But humans cant ingore their itch, can they? I dont agree with a lot of things in the book, but then its Maria's story, so can't argue. The girl, just like most of the people in this world takes the easy road at all points except in the end. Too much justification going on.

Its a medicore read, learnt nothing new, not thought provoking at all. Making us think, easily and simply is what Mr.PC is great at. Atleast those are the things that I tend to expect and look forward to when reading a his books. But this book was like reading a preachy Mills and Boons one. Preaching and Sex dont go well together. Its not that I am Miss. Prim and Proper that I didnt like this book. Its just the simple fact that I didnt get what I expected and neither was I pleaseantly surprised.


Veronika Decides to Die: A typical PC book. Good read, makes us think and its something very important and so relevant to this world and its citizens. Why the heck arent we happy when we have got all that we could ever need at our feet? Was surprised to know that PC was admitted into a mental isntitution. When I mentioned it to my husband( who reads no other book but JAVA books) teased me to death :-) But then this is a delightful thought provoking book. Simple words but Complex matters of life. The theory put forward that "A man will LOVE his life more and LIVE more in his life only if he had prioir knowledge of his death". Through the simple peek into the lives of the patients in the mental institution Mr.PC guides us though the point. The point is not made so obvious, but we get it and we love it :-)

Well thats it..too bored to write anything more. Trying to finish Life of Pi. So far loving the book and the kid trying to be Hindu, Muslim and Christian at the same time. May GOD bless him! :-)

Cheeni Kum - Taste Zyadha!

The music of Chenni Kum by Illayaraj is anything but cheeni kum. Its sweet, tasteful, amazing, great, and divine. His eternal melody in Tamil made available in Hindi for a wider audience.

Whenever I used to listen and sing along to "Kuzhaloodhum Kannanukku Kuyil paatu kekkuta ..koo koo" and etc. I would deeply wish that my husband would love and enjoy these songs just like the way I do. This album gives us such a rare and a delicious oppurtunity.

Bangalore is so romantic these days with its May-Chillness, which itself is a miracle for a chennaite like me. How can it be possibile to be using blankets and sipping hot coffee in MAY when we are supposed to be dealing with mangoes and mores( butter milk) and the Katiri Veyil( Scissor Sun(?)). Its more more cruel than that isnt it when earth practically is a Tandoor(oven) for humans.

Way too off the line..getting back to cheeni kum, the songs, in hindi capture the real essensce of the songs in Tamil and thus retain their worship worthy quality.

Baatein Hawa - Kuzhal Oodhum Kannanukku (Mella thirandhadhu kadhavu )
Cheeni Kum - Mandram Vandha Thendralluku ( Mouna Ragam )
Sooni Sooni - Mandram Vandha Thendralluku ( Mouna Ragam )
Melody Sax's - En Illaya Pon Nillave
Jaane Do Naa - New for me, but is a 80's telgu song apparently.
Theme Melody - Original, dont know, but it takes me back to the times of my old infautated self :-)

BTW, we are having an official date tonight, a date to enjoy each other and sing along with good music, a welcome change from a date with good food you see :-) But Illayaraj's music is soothing and grand enough to fill my soul let alone my ever rumbling tummy.

DIVINE, DELICIOUS, DELIGHFUL !

Illayaraj ! The God !

Listen to it at http://www.musicplug.in/songs.php?movieid=6213

Vernon God Little - Vommit Gag Little !

I mean !...This book is realllly weird. I had to struggle at times not throw this book out of the Infy bus window. I had wanted to read this book for a long time now, but kept postponing it since I hated Catcher in the Rye and this one was touted as a worthy followers of that "legendary" book. But I am glad thought that the reader in me persisted and I liked this book. I mean I cannot claim I know/get why this book got the booker price. Anyone can write all their vomitty/sidey thoughts out, but none have yet, in this colorful way and guess that made all the difference. This guy takes the cake for being the person who can be so creative at writing dirty. Not the dirrrty (sexual) dirty, but just crapish dirty, you know what I mean? DBC Pierre. Right pseudonym, Dirty-But-Clean Pierre.

In the end, after I set aside my expectations from a booker book and opened myself to the "loser" world created by the author, I fell truly in love, so much so that I wanted to get into vernon ohsosad little's damm life and set right things one by one, starting with knowcking some sense into his not-attending-trial-waiting-for-fridge-lalito-calling mom. That pathethic lady and her pathethic existance. I mean!. People like her should never have kids. Had major fun with the Ledesma's cheap character(laid-his-ma at the end for Vernon :-) This book is comical as they claim if you get these kind of people and their life, most will, but pretend not to though, thats a whole different deal altogether.

Ending was a too abrupt for me. But thanks to author for I wud have needed much more motivation than his almost entertaining and thought provoking encounter with the axe murderer ( the only one in the book who made some sense other than his second but good lawyer ).

Final Verdict - Okay read, gross,dry, world is totally mad humor.

WICKED online TICKETS

Had to book a freaking ticket from Chennai to Bangalore and back.
Discovered the tricks these people play with the internet users.
Or atleast the ones that pissed me of.

Trick 1 : They claim they give 30% discount upon using XYZ credit card. You can almost climb mount everst in search of information whether the discount will apply "AT the time of buying the ticket" or later, then how later and when and the terms and condition. The second is, they mention in super small font that the offer is not on international credit cards. Is it so hard to have a clear terms and conditions beside the offer? Or atleast a separate question in FAQ section?

Piss off 2 : They keep showing some tickets as available and then AFTER entering the credit card details to book tickets, they say that "transaction succsessful" "NO TICKETS" and you check your card, the cash is gone. Then jump hoops and get panicked and call service, after a million hours on hold someone lets you know that the money will be back in your card. Cant they simply check the seats availability before the money transaction!!

Piss off 3 :Some websites/premium airlines offer taxi out of airport for 100 rupees additional cost. But they dont mention the kilometer its valid for, whether it cud be AC or non-AC, etc etc. We are left to not choosing this option becuase of unclear terms and conditions. Is it so hard to take these into consideration.

May be becuase I am an IT person who builds website and highly customer focused I expect these things, but some of these are pure common sense which every system developer and business requirements provider needs to provide.