This song makes me want to cry...maybe its just Meryl Streep...

why do I even bother!!?

Wrapped in my own thoughts, I got into the wrong bus yesterday after work. Didn’t realize it was the wrong one until the bus slowed down couple of stops before mine and took a turn in an another new direction. The next stop came a few more random turns later, dropping me off at what looked like one of the plushest locales of Sydney. Feeling pretty optimistic that I’d be able to track my way back, I started plodding in the opposite direction of the bus. A few minutes of walking (…it was more of sauntering down the stoned pathways, gawking at the classy houses and the jazzy cars) and realization dawns that I am officially lost.

Oooh...out comes the GPS enabled phone…who knew providence would present the prospect of putting my phone to good use so soon :D
Unfortunately, I still haven’t learnt to use the GPS functionality nor have I loaded the maps.
Hmmm…time for plan B. I can still connect to the internet and access Google maps…how resourceful am I! Although, by the time I managed to type in the address using that tiny little qwerty keypad on the screen, I truly started appreciating my laptop keyboard a lot more. Typing with the tips of your fingernails is not exactly an agreeable experience. Anyway, I got the job done and the map started to load…uh oh…what’s that little message on the screen…”NO CREDIT”. Serves me right for not topping up my phone credit.

Backup plan (sigh)…put on your best smile and run up to the next person you see on the street. I guess, sometimes its better to stuff technology and go the old fashioned way…just ASK for directions!

Just spent most of the morning sweating it out at the gym. Then rewarded myself with a dark chocolate frappe loaded with whipped cream...talk about maintaining a balance...heh heh

moi new toy

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, the closest being a far-flung attempt to pen down some random thoughts which ended up as squiggly doodles on my note pad. For lack of anything remotely interesting to blog about, I take a trip down that dusty memory lane looking for something to mull over. This goes back to a time when mobile phones were still a luxury for students…well…for most students so to speak. Never really cared much for gadgets…that is, until I was bought my first mobile phone…an LG handset. Now the LG RD 2030 is far from being a glitzy device…but man did I love that shiny piece of contrivance!!! A fairly good phone for the price, but two years down the line, it became an eyesore…I don’t think I’ll ever get over that that hideous bright blue backlight. I wonder if this handset is still in the market though…hmm...

With his little girl finally leaving home for a University hostel, Dad decides to buy her a new phone…another LG handset… the LG RD2690. A bit chunky among the sleeker Nokia phones that my mates seemed to have; but I took an immediate liking for it. It served my limited needs of calling and texting…no ugly antenna…and a soft green backlight. Although the Nokia 1100 did make me a bit jealous at times…seemed like such a cool phone to hang around your neck (what was I thinking…)


Another few years down the line, comes the first job and along with it, the first overseas trip. Panic hits the family when they realize that my phone does not have triband and cannot be used outside the country. Tech savvy older brother steps in and buys me my next phone. Knowing my limited technological precincts, he picked out the perfect one…the Nokia 6030. Ideal for calling and texting, awesome battery life and robust enough for me to safely throw against the wall after fights with Mom.

Anyway over time, smarter & advanced handsets began to make my phone look like a plain Jane. Add to that the dawning realization that I was geographically challenged made me start coveting the snazzy GPS enabled gizmos that had hit the market. However, the insane price tags ensured that I kept postponing the purchase. The last straw though was the loss of my MP3 player…figured I might as well invest the dough in a good phone than in replacing the player.
So after three long years I finally dumped the Nokia 6030 (hope Daddy dear likes his present) and in came the… wait for it... (drum roll…)…the Samsung Omnia!!! … (Yes that’s right people…tough luck if you were expecting it to be the Iphone)

3G, Bluetooth, TFT Touchscreen, qwerty keypad, GPS, 5MP camera…the works…its got it all!! Although, I must admit…it’s been a few weeks into the purchase and I still haven’t quite learnt my way around the phone (the tech crazy older brother would probably disown me if he knew this). Woke up in the middle of the night some days back wondering why the room light was still switched on, only to realize that I screwed up the phone settings and the backlight would not turn off. Anyway, don’t worry about me…I’m getting there…

Meanwhile, just so you know, the purpose of this post was not to reveal my bumbling ineptness at gadgets nor was it to review the Samsung Omnia (although if you do want a review of it, visit this link http://www.cnet.com.au/mobilephones/phones/0,239025953,339291821,00.htm). It was just so I could gloat and shout ‘Hey look at me…I’m the chick with the new flashy phone!!!’ ;D

Turns out what I thought to be a sore throat were actually badly infected tonsils. Spent the last few days in bed, drugged and fuzzed out. Unfortunately that meant that new yrs eve saw me huddled feverish under the blanket watching the harbour bridge fireworks on TV… certainly not how I had planned to bid 2008 adieu. Anyway, ‘09 is here and here’s to a great year for everyone.

The holiday season is upon us and everybody is off partying or holidaying. I should have been backpacking across Darwin, instead, the first Monday after Christmas and I’m back at work. Just spent eight hours in an almost empty office with an incredibly sore throat and a wisdom tooth that has been acting up again. Guess the weekend is catching up with me.
I really really need a break…

Slumdog Millionaire

Just caught the latest flick that’s been making waves on the movie circuit. Watching Slumdog Millionaire has been the high point of my otherwise dreary Christmas break. Based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup and directed by Danny Boyle, the movie follows Jamal Malik, a boy from the slums of Mumbai who makes it big on the Indian version of Who Wants to be Millionaire.
His dream run on the show is cut short when suspicions are raised on how a slum dog with no education could know all the correct answers. After being picked up and tortured by the law enforcement, Jamal’s explanation on how he knew the answers takes the viewer through the story of his life on the streets. After being orphaned in an anti Muslim attack on the slums, Jamal, his brother Salim and another orphan girl Latika are living off the trash heaps when they are discovered by Maman, a gangster who uses children to beg. Their escape from Maman, separation from Latika and the brothers’ life on the streets, form bits and pieces of how Jamal knew all the answers on the show. The police inspector calls his story ‘bizarrely plausible’ and allows Jamal to return to the show to answer the final question. The movie ends on a high note with a Bollywood touch and a true Bollywood style song and dance sequence.
The movie takes honest and poignant look into the lives of Mumbai’s slum dwellers. Profound scenes from Jamal’s life manage to simultaneously strike a chord with the viewer and also brings a smile to your lips at times. More than anything else, what works is the casting and the performances. The child actors excel in their roles, Dev Patel as Jamal is subtle and still gives an intense performance, Anil Kapoor as the cynical host of the show is brilliant. One however wishes there could have been a bit more of Irrfaan Khan who still manages to give a power packed performance in his short role as the police inspector. All in all Slumdog Millionaire is definitely a must watch.