Of fogs, planes, chaos and Cheema's marriage...

Disclaimer - The first three items in the title are not related to the fourth :-)

Was off to Delhi last weekend, and it was a wonder that we were able to get there at all. Am not an extensive traveller, but I guess any airline management, with an iota of common sense and general knowledge, would know that Delhi is (in)famous for its freezing winters and foggy mornings - despite that, it was a trifle sad to see the same old lines of frustrated passengers, uncertain flights, chaotic counters et al...and a spate of delays and cancellations.

The whole problem has just gotten worse with the advent of low-budget, half-budget and no-budget airlines, which are rapidly making our airports look like railway stations (or worse), and which, in the name of low-cost ops, are filled either with aircraft unable to operate in low-visibility conditions, or with pilots not trained in CAT III ILS systems, or (usually) both.

It was in the backdrop of this general airport mayhem that we took off for Delhi from B'lore (a coupla hours late), and then kept circling Delhi for close to an hour before finally landing - the pilot did announce a visibility range of 300 metres, but I guess he was talking about night-vision (not human vision for sure !). Its been quite some time since I've seen that thick a sheet of fog, obscuring even the palm of your hand !!! Good ol' Delhi.....

Anyhow, got a cab, whose driver turned out to a cross between an F1-driver and a fighter pilot - the way he drove us to the venue that night, is a tale I might probably be recounting to my grandchildren.

The trip back was just as eventful, what with one of the flights being overbooked, and an irate passenger on another flight completely losing his cool, and general scenes straight out of "Fight Club"...or maybe "Mortal Kombat"...Suffice to say that we suffered yet another delay for a couple of hours, with an extensive display of the abrasive side of human nature and tempers, and finally made it back to B'lore - tired, sleepy and worn out.

Then again, to have seen "Harjan" that Christmas morn, resplendent and glowing beside his bride, was a sight that can warm any heart - something that made it all worthwhile - God bless them both.

A rather damp Goblet of Fire

Hello ? I thought this was supposed to be the best Harry Potter movie in a long time ?
Well, first impressions are...I was wrong (or maybe I thought a bit too much !)...

The new Harry Potter movie looks more like a patchwork quilt of action sequences & special effects put together while appearing to retain its links with the previous films in the series by retaining most of the main cast - most of all, I guess the movie lacks continuity, and doesn't somehow do justice to the intricately woven plot that J.K. Rowling treated us to.

The Quidditch World Cup is omitted (well, almost) ; the initial build-up is lost (alongwith Winky) ; the first task with dragons is more about special effects than Hermione's teaching & Harry's wit ; the second task has no mention of Dobby (and instead makes Neville look quite smart !) ; and the third and final task - well, the less said about it, the better.
I mean, that was a maze of dangers, not a maze-of-storms-that-push-you-stupidly-in-the-right-direction-towards-the-Cup.


I do agree that Harry is beginning to grow, and innocence fights with adolescence at every turn ; I do know that each passing year brings worries of a different (and feminine) kind to a boy's mind - but I don't know why we need to lose the endearing charm of the Harry Potter series as we know it in the books, when we try to convert them into film.

P.S. : I guess the Potter film-crew has a lot to learn from the The Lord of The Rings, which, across all 3 films, is a landmark, a watershed, in movie creation - it doesn't attempt to bring out the gigantic novel in its entirety ; but I'm sure there'll be very few who can say that it doesn't do justice to the story.
With this latest offering of Harry Potter, however, I regret to say (as an ardent Potter-fan), that there will be very many disappointed viewers who will go home from the theaters with the not-quite-content-and-something-is-missing feeling.


P.P.S. : I HATE this Dumbledore !!! I guess that's what put me off, TOTALLY - this guy sucks, man ! Dumbledore is supposed to be the greatest good wizard ever, someone who never loses his cool, someone with twinkling eyes, someone who is a quiet, confident, assured and loving character who loves Harry ! This guy is a close second to Voldemort in terms of love shown to Harry and students in general ! Crap...bullcrap......

I got married !!!!!

Hello and welcome to the new world of the married DC !

For those of you who ain't aware of it yet, got married on 17th of Nov. in Delhi, and have left behind the glorious lazy days of unkempt bachelorhood far behind, lost in the misty shadows of the past........(sob).....
On a brighter note, though, lemme say that married life ain't too bad either - good food, home-made food, bed-tea, TV, paying bills, shopping bills, running after the cable guy, medical bills, paying more bills.......(sob)......

Haha - well, anyhow, that was what my earlier impression was of married life ; and although it isn't too far from the reality, lemme just say that how you view things makes all the difference in the world - beauty truly does lie in the eyes of the beholder. Saw so many of my friends tie the knot, especially over the last coupla years, but when it came to myself - well, it still hasn't quite sunk in yet...

It was fun, though - friends, family, the photographers (especially the one with the huge tummy), the drinks slipped into my hands, the chilly Delhi winter, the smell of food (didnt get to eat much, though).....it was a memorable experience, to be sure.

Watch this space for more ! Till then, adios.....