"Playing the role of a Film Critic..."

Yeah I was bored with being the regular movie goer (not that I was a regular at that) so I decided to don the role of a Film Critic... I saw two movies over the period of two weeks at our very own Infosys Adlabs Multiplex (where else can you watch a movie for 45 bucks and enjoy true dolby experience on BOSE AV systems...lucky me).

I went with a lot of scepticism for Casino Royale. I was not at all convinced with the idea of Daniel Craig mouthing that immortal line..."The name's Bond, James Bond". With all the bad press the movie had garnered I would be lying if I said I was not biased while watching the movie, but thats exactly where he gained points. In spite of all odds stacked against him he still managed to shine brilliantly.

He reminds me of Sir Sean Connery in his hey days, the same charm, cockiness and smooth style. The movie has managed to give a more humane dimension to Bond. There is less emphasis on gadgets (I still miss that part) with the demise of Q but nevertheless Bond manages to make the best use of resources available to him in a convincing manner. Both the Aston Martins were definitely what I was yearing to see more of . And in the very end Daniel Craig mouths those lines which signifies that this is just the begining of what is yet to come. (Oh yeah I failed to mention that I watched this movie twice.)

Dhoom2 was the most eagerly awaited release and I must say it was pathetic. You should really love any one of the lead actors that much to shell out even those 45 bucks. Its all style and glitz. Ash should stop trying to act as well as trying to look cool. Abhishek shouldn't dance (unless its steps similar to what he did in Bluffmaster).

Hrithik was good enough (except for those intense senti scenes). Bipasha has loads of oomph and no one can deny that. I regret to say this but it was Uday Chopra's humor that made the movie a bit bearable. Somebody please tell our film people that we do watch Hollywood movies and if they are trying to imitate stunts then please add some element of sensibility into it.

"The Fast and The Furious : Mysore Drift..."

No I didn't get the title wrong... Actually we went go-karting yesterday at a place called Planet X just 4Kms outside Mysore. Its supposedly the biggest go-karting track in Karnataka. It sure is big and cheap too, just 120 bucks for 10 laps or 10 mins whichever is earlier. Of course with the lap times we clocked, we were on the track for a little over 7 mins (this meant that we had to do it for a second time).

It felt so good to lay my hands on something gasoline powered after such a long time (3 weeks is a really long time for a speed junkie like me). Now to the fun part... we were drifting in the carts. The track had really nice curves (the concrete surface and the bald racing tires further helped the drift). The best lap time for the track is 35 secs and we got to only about 42 secs. So you know what this means... We'll be back there the next weekend to better it .

P.S: If you don't know what "drifting" means then this post isn't meant for you...

"I'm still alive..."

For those of you who have been scouring the newspapers for my obituary here's some pleasant (or unpleasant, as per your choice) news, I am still very much alive and kicking ass. I am here in the Infosys campus at Mysore, where my fast track training has started in full swing.

The trip from Mumbai to Mysore was pleasant and uneventful (except for the arm ache I got by lugging the heavy suitcase around). Mayank was at his usual best in terms of punctuality and hence I told him not to come to the station. After two days of induction sessions (boring presentations and lots of forms to be filled) we had the screening test which sealed our fates. Milind and I got into Fast Track. Rest of the DBITians are in the Long Cycle.

"Cycle" reminds me to tell you about the campus. Its awesome, huge, extremely well maintained and environment friendly to say the least. Every bit of land is covered with lush grass, Buildings are spacious with water bodies around to avoid the formation of heat islands. The house keeping staff is very meticulous in its work. My shoe soles are still black, I guess this conveys the message clearly. There are cycles to go about the campus. The terrain is hilly and I am sure to have well toned thighs and calf muscles by the time I return.

Week days are hectic and most of the time is spent in the Global Education Center (also known as the University of Infosys). I come back to my hostel room only to sleep. Rest of the time is spent in the 3 Food Courts and the Employee Care centre which houses the recreational facilities, 24X7 laundromat, Hair Salon and yeah the supermarket (and like a fool I lugged everything from Mumbai). Weekends are meant to enjoy and I am doing just that. I am sorry about not being able to post pics here.

On the training front everything is great. I am getting so comfortable with the LCD monitors that I won't be able to go back to the CRT monitors. Bose AV systems are everywhere. Class rooms are huge with a seating capacity of 180 with individual systems. Two projectors make sure everyone gets to see what the Facilitator is talking about. I finished my Programming Fundamentals module last Thursday and barely managed to score 97%...Looking forward towards the next module.

Last weekend I had been to the Bangalore DC (Development Center), which is also the corporate head quarters of Infosys. We were celebrating the 25 years of Infosys. The Sa Re Ga Ma little champs gave their performance followed by Sonu Nigam's concert but what enthralled me was the talk by our Chief Mentor NRN (Mr Narayan Murthy). Also I was mesmerized by a sweet angel by the name of Gunjan Singh (of Bally Sagoo's Noorie remix fame) who sang just three songs and left me wanting for more (again I regret not clicking a snap while I had the chance). Had a ball of a time with Mayank and his friends. Couldn't meet Utkarsh though (even Mayank has just met him once and he has been there for about 4 months now).

I also came to know one more interesting fact about myself... I walk at a speed of about 20Kmph... How did I realize that? Well thats a long story which is better kept for some other time.