Miss Universe

I firmly believe that the "Miss Universe" contests are rigged. Every year the winner is from Earth. In fact, I have never seen a participant from another place, planet, star or galaxy even qualify. No wonder the aliens ignore us!

Movie Review "Everest"; Chilly and breathless

Adventure movies set on mountains are aplenty. You may remember Cliffhanger, Into Thin Air, Vertical Limit, K2 and lots more. It's quite difficult to keep the audience engaged with just a plot and film makers will use stunning visuals, accidents, tension and action to make a movie entertaining.

EVEREST portrays the real life incident of the tragedy in 1996 that resulted in the death of many mountaineers. To enjoy the movie you may choose to read a bit of this incident to get some background as it helps you understand the events. Or you may decide to watch it completely oblivious of the event or the tragedy.

The movie starts off at an average pace and gets the viewers familiarise themeselves with the characters. The mix of usual fun and portrayal of difficulties expected drags on and suddenly the climbers are all set to reach the summit. A short window of opportunity, an incoming storm and a delay at the Hillary Step sets up the stage for an action packed second stage. Add to it some tension between a few of the climbers and you know things are going to get difficult.

The movie portrays the cold and the difficulty in breathing very well. The coughing and the chill really get to you. As you watch it you are aware of your own breathing and the temperature of your room or theater will seem to drop. There is no over dramatization. The movie manages to build the characters of the actors well too. Robs character is well portrayed as caring and that leads to his downfall. Doug's desperation to reach the top is shown well. Yasuko comes across as strong willed. Helen plays the difficult role of being the coordinator and breaking bad news well. She comes across as a professional person with real emotions.

Overall the movie portrays the tragedy quite well. I'm still not sure why they needed to make another movie about the event. Some may find it repetitive. But of you do watch it read the book and read the discussions on imdb as this will help you understand the context well. I also feel they could have cut out some scenes and helped build up the storm and suspense a but more dramatically.  This is definitely a movie worth watching. I rate it 8/10.

PS: I have reblogged this from my "Reviews by Ross" blog as blogjob may close down and has several technical issues now. 

Know your hymns

As a 'modern' Christian, I still love hymns. Thats why this message from my friend meant a lot to me.

*Do you know your hymns?*

Dentist's Hymn
- Crown Him with Many Crowns
     
Weatherman's Hymn
- There Shall Be Showers of Blessings    

Contractor's Hymn
- The Church's One Foundation  
 
The Tailor's Hymn
- Holy, Holy, Holy 
  
The Golfer's Hymn
- There's a Green Hill Far Away
   
The Politician's Hymn
- Standing on the Promises 
  
Optometrist's Hymn
- Open My Eyes That I Might See
   
The IRS Agent's Hymn
- I Surrender All    

The Gossip's Hymn
- Pass It On    

The Electrician's Hymn
- Send The Light    

The Shopper's Hymn
- Sweet Bye and Bye    

The Realtor's Hymn
- I've Got a Mansion Just over the Hilltop   

The Massage Therapist's Hymn
- He Touched Me    

The Doctor's Hymn
- The Great Physician    

AND for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:   

80km/h - God Will Take Care of You  
105 km/h - Nearer My God To Thee  
140 km/h - This World Is Not My Home  
165 km/h - Lord, I'm Coming Home  
200 km/h - Precious Memories

Tamilnadu Polls and Rains

After a nearly unbearable stretch of superhot summer days during the time of election campaigning, it was a pleasant change as the weather cooled down and there was plenty of rain in many parts of Tamilnadu as polling started. Ever wondered what  scientific research and analysis has shown about the timing of these rains and how long it will last?

Research has shown that the rains in Tamilnadu happened after polling started so that no political party could campaign saying that they caused the rains to happen.
Research has predicted that the rains will stop and the hot weather will restart just before the final results of polling so that no political party can claim that it is raining to celebrate their victory!

Interesting analysis.....

Out of hand?

Here's a puzzle. Can you spot the odd man out in this series of hand gestures?

Doggy Coffee

http://my-coffee-art.tumblr.com/post/117309178257/sometimes-things-get-cute-in-the-morning-i-cant

The Indian Lift Etiquette

Random observations from travelling about a million floors up and down elevators in India.
1. Enter first and stand up front close to the buttons. This is a prime spot and is best for hopping out at your floor easily. It doesn't matter if you block other people from entering. Just stare at them if they try to squeeze past. Do the same when people behind you need to get off. Don't budge an inch. As Sheldon says, " This is my spot". When people reach across you to push a button give them dirt looks. They don't have manners.
2. Press both the up and down buttons when waiting at a floor. This will bring the lift to your floor quickly.
3. Press the lift call button multiple times. This activates the superspeed plugin in the elevator and magically brings it to your floor.
4. Hit the door close button as soon as you enter the lift. If you see a person hurrying to make it to the lift, hit the close button multiple times to speed up the door closing and graciously allowing the person to miss the lift. After all, wasting a few seconds of your time is worse than the few minutes you waste of his time.
5. As soon as the lift reaches your floor, hit the door open button. It's best not to leave things to chance in case the door forgets to open.
6. You know that your mobile signal drops when you are in the lift. However it is essential to call someone and shout out "Hello.... Hello..... I can't hear you. I'm in the lift...... Helloooo.... Signal is not clear...... I will call you once I get out of the lift..... Helloooo.....". Make a few exasperated proclamations. The point is to let the other person know that you are rich enough and busy enough to travel in an elevator. Don't bother to call him later.
7. The elevator is a good place to search your pockets and wallet for papers, receipts, stubs and other little things you don't need. Its a great place to drop off what you don't need. Some random person cleans the lift regularly and hence its good to ensure he has something to clean.
8. If you are behind someone when the lift arrives at your floor, the best plan of action to ensure a successful evacuation is to push this person aside and make a grand exit. Requesting him to move works only 99.99% of the time. It's not worth taking that 0.01% risk.
What has been your experience? This is a somewhat exaggerated, slightly sarcastic write up..... maybe. . . . . .

My handwriting!

I've always been criticised for my bad handwriting. It leaves me depressed and disappointed. Thankfully I saw this fact that encouraged me!