Flashback

There are some images that we directly correlate with either events, people or momentous occurrences. I had one of those recently that took me into a double flashback of sorts.

I had just boarded my 6.30am train from Montreal Central Station to Ottawa. I removed my coat jacket and placed it onto the hangar, asked for a coffee and stared out the window. The train exited the platform and this beautiful sunrise dawned. The next few minutes made me wonder why I don't travel by train, especially in ones with such big ass windows. I looked down the alleyway of the Via rail Business Class compartment....

.... I asked myself, "When was the last time I was in an inter-city train?"

It was two years ago, Dec 2009, when I was travelling from Mumbai to Mangalore and back. The time before that was around Dec 2005 from Tver to St. Petersburg.

In all these flashbacks I noticed a stark contrast in my life status and maturity. Back in 2005, I was this clueless student three years into my Bachelors degree, not really sure what the next couple of years would bring. I felt like I was just tied down and following the path with the bread-crumbs all over it.

Alternatively, in 2009, I was almost done with my Masters degree in the USA, much more mature and street-smart (I would like to believe). I was looking forward to the challenges awaiting me in that trip, the semester after it, the the job-hunt eventually.

And now, I am working for one of the biggest companies in my industry, impacting daily airline operations and making a business trip in business class wearing a nice suit, sipping on nice coffee accompanied with a continental breakfast, just hungry for every opportunity I get to progress.

A flashing sequence of memories tied together by trigger cues. Quite a satisfying feeling of progression in life.

SAUL: I have a question....

Say we do get into the cage, and through the security doors there, and down the elevator we can't move, and past the guards with the guns, and into the vault we can't open...

RUSTY: Without being seen by the cameras.

DANNY: (off everyone's astonishment) Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot to mention that.

SAUL: Say we do all that. We're just supposed to walk outta there with a hundred million dollars in cash on us without getting stopped?

Danny smiles, his broad, sure-of-himself grin, the one Rusty couldn't deny earlier and these guys won't deny now.

DANNY: Yeah.

============

The scene that leaves a mark on anyone who watches the movie. It is hilarious, but succint. Ground-breaking, but subtle. Cautious, but inspiring.

Ocean's 11.

This is Blasphemy. This is Madness.

Madness?

LOL. This has to be one of the funniest "concept" images of all-time.

Song of the Moment: Armin Van Buuren and DJ Shah feat Chris Jones - Going Wrong

Top Ten - You know it's summer in Champaign when...

- The windows and doors need to be kept closed from preventing the outside (fresh and hot) air from getting in.

- The power in the living room keeps tripping because there is a fan, AC, laptop and microwave connected.

- Evening tennis begins only after the sun sets. Suddenly indoor badminton is better. But nothing beats the feeling of an optimized breast stroke in the cool swimming pool.

- You would rather just sit in the AC bus and roam around campus rather than wait at the bus stop for a connecting bus.

- You get up early and run to the office or library to study because there's central AC there and you will end up saving on your monthly electricity bill.

- You feel like having the AC for lunch and the fan for dinner.

- You start visiting people who keep their houses cooled the whole day.

- You postpone meetings because you don't want to walk one block in the scorching heat.

- You say it out loud, "India is better (temperature-wise)"

- You wonder why God gave you hair all over.

The 'Chitragupt' joke

A Gujju, a Bhaiyya and a Bihari & Malayali died and were facing Yama.

Yama asked them if they wanted some facilities & told Chitragupt decided on their accommodation.

The Gujju said : "Hey Yambhai, aa marathi loko toh mane shaanti thi jeeva nathi deta. Maari dukaan fodi naakhi. Aa marathi loko ekdum junglee chhe. Mane maari baaju maa marathi maanas nathi joto."

The UP wala said : "Theek kaha gujjubhai ne. Shriman Yam, in marathi logo ne to hamara jeena hi mushkil kar diya hai....eemaan se! Arre, meri dukaan ka board bhi kala kar diya. Kahat rahi ki dukaan ka naam marathi bhasha mein hona chaahiye. Ab ee bhi koi baat hui kya? Mujhe bhi mere baaju mein marathi aadmi nahi chaahiye."

The Bihari said : "Yeh dono sajjan aadmi theek kahat hain. Arre main thode din pehle railway ki pariksa dene mumbai gaya tha. Raam Lalla ki sougandh, in marathi logun ne humka bahut hi peeta. Hamaar haddi pasli ek kardi. Aisa junglee marathi humka hamaar saath naahi chaahiye."

The Malayali said "aiiyoo humoko bhi marathi baaju main nahi mangta, bahto pareshaan karta hai yeh log. kuch kaam kerne ko nahi aata phir bhi hosiyari maarke kaheta hai ki tumko hamare mumbai se nikal dega.

Yama turns to Chitragupt and says : "Aayla Chitrya, ya saglyanchya files majhyakade gheun ye re!!! Baghto ekekala"

You know what the problem with hollywood is...

"You know what the problem with Hollywood is. They make shit. Unbelievable, unremarkable shit. Now I'm not some grungy wannabe filmmaker, that's searching for existentialism through a haze of bong smoke or something (slight chuckle) No, it's easy to pick apart bad acting, short-sighted directing, and a purely moronic stringing together of words than many of studios term as prose. No, I'm talking about the lack of realism. Realism. Not a pervasive element in today's modern American cinematic vision.

Take 'Dog Day Afternoon' for example. Arguably Pacino's best work, short of 'Scarface' and 'Godfather' part one of course. Masterpiece of directing, easily Lumet's best. (cuts cigar) The cinematography, the acting, the screenplay, all top notch. But. (lights cigar, puffs twice) they didn't push the envelope. Now what if in 'Dog Day,' Sonny really wanted to get away with it? What if - now here's the tricky part - what if he started killing hostages right away? No mercy, no quarter. "Meet our demands or the pretty blond in the bellbottoms gets it in the back of the head." Bam, splat! "What, still no bus?" Come on. How many innocent victims splattered across the window would it take to have the city to reverse it's policy on hostage situations? And this is 1976, there's no CNN, there's no CNBC, there's no Internet!

Now, fast-forward to today. Present time, same situation. How quickly would the modern media make a frenzy over this? In a matter of hours, it would be the, the biggest story from Boston to Budapest. Ten hostages die. Twenty, thirty. Relentless, bam bim, one after another. All caught in hi-def, computer-enhanced, color-corrected. You can practically taste the brain-matter. All for what, a bus? A plane? A couple of million dollars that's federally insured? (takes deep breath) I don't think so. Just a thought. I mean, it's not within the realm of conventional cinema...but what if?"

- Gabriel Shear

written by Skip Woods

To Vegas or not to

I don't know why but for some reason everybody wants to go to Vegas. EVERYBODY!! Either it is their wish to lose a lot of money, or they have the misconception that Vegas has many tourist attractions. What is it about Vegas that attracts them so much?

So many other cities have casinos, what makes them unattractive? If you ask a good poker player, he would prefer going to Vegas only when he is sure that there will be many people who want to lose their money. Well, that is almost everyday. That's why the good poker players go there. The same reason for good blackjack players and other card game players. My curiosity begins when people can find casinos in their backyard, with the same game stakes, same setup, yet still want to go to Vegas to do the exact same thing. Weird!!

I have some rules about going to Vegas that I wouldn't like to break. These simple thoughts usually determine how much you get raked.
1) If I go to Vegas 'to play', I would prefer going alone. Simple. Isn't it? No worries about what the time is, who's waiting for you, whether they are getting bored. You have complete control over your decision-making on and off the table.
2) Play in games that you don't find elsewhere. For somebody who has never been to Vegas, you wouldn't know what is different in Vegas unless someone else tells you or if you analyze each casino website and game format closely. Whatever you find in most casinos across the world, you find in Vegas. But the casinos have more to offer. Did you know that there are almost 20 different 'satellites' to the World Series of Poker every day around April-May? That's what I call different, something you won't find in your backyard casino.
3) The strip ain't everything. If you are a tourist, i.e. not a person who has any skill or idea about any gambling that Vegas has to offer, then you really need to think if Vegas is the place where you want to visit by spending your hard-earned cash. If you think it is, then check out this link, which gives you most of the attractions that you can see.
4) Be as thrifty as possible in Vegas. Yes, I said it. I have seen people have a margarita, then some more, before sitting down at a table. My only suggestion to these people is to try and calculate how much they pay when they order those very same drinks 'after' sitting at a table. If you are going to play, then most casinos offer exclusive game suites with excellent benefits. But you gottta make sure that you play, and play well.
5) Who are you going to Vegas with? If its your new wife/husband, are you telling me you couldn't find a better, more romantic honeymoon destination? If its your entire family, what are the kids going to do while you're sitting at the tables or at the strip club with your uncle/father-in-law and the ladies are at a beauty parlor? If its with friends, will you really get a chance to coordinate with each one of them and party better than if you were in your home city considering each of your friends plays a different game?

Some might feel that I'm being too harsh when I say the above. Well, try this. If you are a good card player, go to Vegas for a week. ALONE!! Stay at the best game suite which might cost 35$ per day plus casino money. Work hard on your game and don't spend too much money off the table. Quit early on bad days, i.e. not days when you lose money but days when you are actually playing bad).

Vegas is a good place, lots of attractions. Gotta give kudos to marketing and the sheer lure-factor that they have managed to create. Going there won't be a complete waste of time, but you can bet good money that it will be a waste of money.