The lighter side of negativity: How to use humor to cope

This blog is for my friend, the most negative person I know. But don't worry, I'm here to help!

"Negativity is everywhere, but that doesn't mean you have to let it get you down."

Read my coping mechanism now...

Use your humor. Acknowledge that you are yourself a humourous person and make it work for you. 

Laugh at yourself yourself. If you think someone is coming heavy on you, laugh at yourself and let the heat dissipate in front of you, rather than anywhere else! Fancy this telling your body critics, "Thanks for the feedback! I'm working on a new look, I'm going to be the next big thing."

Vibe high. (As much as you can). Surround yourself with positive people. Does that help with your mood and outlook on life? Juz, make sure you feel good about yourself!

Ignore the negativity. Sometimes, the best way to deal with negativity is to simply ignore it. If someone is being negative, try to go talk to someone else or change the subject. 

While reading this piece, did anyone remember an old popular quote, "Laughter is the best medicine!"?

Musings of an ID Coffee lover

"I was certain that I'd not make it thru my probation. The stars have been kind to me this time! Can't believe I made it here!"

 

"Yes, this will be a game changer! You worked really hard and we're impressed."

 

Neeti had just moved to London from Bangalore. She's a young Indian woman in her late twenties and a developer by profession.

 

"In the first week of joining the team, although in probation, I was certain that I wanted to bring something special for everyone from Bangalore.

 

"And I knew that our office didn't have a pantry, so I brought you all some ID coffee decoction because you know how expensive food and beverage can be here."

 

“Justin: ID coffee? I've never heard of it.”

 

“Oh, ID is the name of an Indian coffee brand, without which I wouldn't be able to start my morning. The nicest coffee decoction I've tasted to this day! Just wanted to show a gesture of much I appreciate everyone here.”

 

“I love coffee!”, said Justin.

 

"You know, growing up in the South of India, filtered coffee or tea is a staple. We need a cup especially after a sumptuous breakfast of dosa and chutney."

She continues...

 

"Also, I can vouch I had never seen you on Zoom meetings without a coffee cup!"

Justin laughs and says, “Do you know, this coffee maker could cost five times more in London. This is a very thoughtful and generous gift. I would suggest you keep it for yourself, for your mornings."

 

"Not at all. I have put more thought into bringing these here."

 

The coffee connoisseurs finish their coffee and head back to their desks.

Neeti carefully pulls out a brown bag from her tote and sets it on her desk. She then began drafting an email.

Gourmet coffee from India

Happy to share some of the best coffee in the world with you all! Please come by my desk. Trust you all will love it.

Roy: An afterthought

What is wrong with critics these days, (suspect these opinion leaders are so much swayed by each other’s early impressions about a movie, and set a troubling trend). Considering their influence in the success of a movie, the onus of responsibility lies with a critic to first understand its concept, and Roy is such that it tests the height of one’s patience before it grows on you.

My words about Roy, the film.

Arjun Rampal is Kabir Grewal, an accomplished filmmaker and screenplay writer famous for his ‘Guns’ franchise. He is currently working on the script of the third instalment of Guns which is based in Malaysia. The crew decides to set out to Malaysia for the shoot although the story is far ahead from completion. Kabir from this moment goes through a creative slowdown and fails to finish the screenplay, much to the worry of the producers and the entire cast and crew of the film.

Ayesha Amir, played by Jacqueline Fernandez is a London-based filmmaker who is also in Malaysia (incidentally in the same hotel as Kabir) for a travel documentary. Kabir finds his muse in Ayesha, and after much persuasion Ayesha agrees to go on a date with him. Soon after the reports of their courtship surface in the media, Ayesha learns that she is his ‘Girlfriend #23′, a way the press keep track of his flings. She starts dodging him and leaves to London.

Meanwhile, the film shoot gets stalled due to an incomplete script and Kabir returns back to Mumbai. As he struggles to find a perfect climax to his story, he remembers a conversation he had with Ayesha in which she had a different vision of the ending.  Kabir finds his inspiration and goes on to complete the script. The movie becomes a huge hit.

The film is engagingly crisscrossed by another love story, the story of a reclusive art thief and his mistress, Roy and Tia. Roy’s new assignment is to steal one of the halves of a priceless painting called ‘Two Halves’. The right-half of the painting belongs to Tia. It is now when a love story unfolds, and also ends too soon after Roy’s mission is accomplished, to steal the painting. That’s the one half of the love story. What happens in the next half is what Roy is all about. And, will the ‘Two Halves’ paintings reunite again, with the right owner?

It was amusing to watch the two storylines run over each other and how Kabir and Roy are interrelated.

Ranbir as Roy remains low key throughout the film, perhaps a fear within if Roy overshadows the main cast. But again let’s believe it’s the play of the script here, Kabir is Roy, a case of character taking over the personality of its author. Kabir is very much laid back and to an extent boring, so is his protagonist. And, Ranbir Kapoor, I sure did miss his acting, but that’s ok because Bombay Velvet is just around the corner.

Arjun Rampal stayed loyal to his role as Kabir. Truly appreciate the actor for his no-nonsense acting, a rarely found trait in Bollywood these days! Surprisingly, it was JF who comes as the clear winner of three leads. She looks amazingly calm, resilient, and so like a diva from start to finish. In short, I loved Jacqueline Fernandez as Ayesha/Tia in Roy!

The film traverses a road less traveled by many in Bollywood, with lots of stumbles. The debutant director Vikramjit Singh does miss nuances of storytelling at times because certainly for a film like Roy it demands much more powerful dialogues and screenplay lest damaging comments by critics and movie goers ruin its stint at the BO. That said I don’t feel it is quite right to zoom in the flaws given that it’s his first venture. Hats off to Vikramjit Singh because he has risked his career and chose to give audiences Roy rather than sth like Chennai Express or Happy New Year.

Full marks to the story, full marks to the mind-blowing BGM! And about the music in Roy, I don’t even have to talk about it!

22 Female Kottayam – Review

UTHARA NAIR

Cast: Rima Kallingal, Fahad Fazil

Direction: Aashiq Abu

Genre: Thriller

Music: Bijibal, Rex Vijayan

Camera: Shyju Khalid

Editing: Vivek Harshan

One of the movies from recent times I thought will write about is 22FK. Aashiq Abu kills this time and brings forth an improvised look at the new generation of films.

Rima Kallingal as Tessa is an ambitious nurse from Kottayam whose wish is to work in Canada someday. She comes across as a coy and traditional woman however determined enough to make it big in her career. In the course of applying for a Visa, she meets Cyril (Fahad Fazil), a travel agent. He agrees to help Tessa obtain a visa. In a series of events, the duo fall for each other and Tessa moves in with Cyril just ahead of two weeks of her travel to Canada.

In a strange turn of events, Cyril goes absconding after he got into a brawl at the bar with an influential guy. While Tessa is alone in the apartment, she is brutally raped by Cyril's trusted friend Hegde On his return after two days, he vows to kill Hegde. As she recovers and tries to reassure Cyril, the incident is repeated. 

As Tessa decides to put her travel plan on hold, she's stuck with a double whammy. Tessa is arrested for allegedly carrying drug packets in her handbag. At the prison, she becomes acquainted with a notorious criminal and her roommate Subaida (played by Reshmi Satheesh) who also happens to have a heart of gold. With her help, she finds answers to all the questions that were haunting her until then.. The clichéd rebirth scenes of a bolder and suave Tessa follow as she prepares herself to avenge.

The story offers plenty of surprises before giving way to the final surprise. 

In the film, Tessa’s approach to dating Cyril, who is indeed still a stranger to her, looks a tad questionable as we ponder about the safety of Tessa in such an arrangement. However, the script strikes a chord with the young audience with its sheer honesty. The woman in the picture looks credible and grounded and characters like Cyril and Hegde always exist in every society. This film also witnesses a thumping comeback for Prathap Pothen as an actor. Thanks to Pothen, I now realize there are other actors as well in the South who can speak English other than Prithvi Raj!! :P

Fahadh does a brave act by choosing to defer again from typecast heroes. A multidimensional actor, Fahadh adds depth and charisma to his character. There is a void created for the growth of a new generation actor in the Malayalam cinema, and if Fahad sees it as an opportunity to fill it, the sky is the limit for him.  And man, he’s in the right direction!

Finally, this is Rima Kallingal’s movie. As Aashiq Abu has said, if there’s anyone who could perfectly suit to 22 Female Kottayam’s requirement, it should be Rima. She portrays her character with unprecedented charm, depth, and seriousness. She easily slips into the role of the charming and vulnerable nurse and takes the audience on a surprise with the twisting turns of events in the film. Your best performance ever Rima, and as you had tweeted, 22 FK is your baby!

22 Female Kottayam music – Addictive, Fresh!

Outstanding music by Rex Vijayan. The theme song, Chillane Ponveyil by Avial, is upbeat and original with its signature blend of rock and Malayalam film music. Melle Kollum has a soulful rendition, steeped in romance with good lyrics.

The songs from the film are likely to live in my playlist for a very loooooong time! 

My verdict: Don't miss it! :)

Electric, Mesmerizing, and Feverish!

Review - Bryan Adams Live in Concert , Bangalore

Feb 13, 2011 is one of the most memorable day for a rock fanatic like me. The ambiance at Palace Grounds, Bangalore was like a gift to music fans, and there were peeps like me traveling from neighbouring cities to sing along with the legendary Bryan Adams. So in fond remembrance of those who missed the charity concert (Save the Children), here goes my review:

The concert starts with a dash of desi colour  to the concert by the Shiamak Davar dance troupe. And then the 51-year old rock star runs into the stage, strumming his guitar and crooning our all time favourite, ‘We Will Rock You'.

The true rock spirit and enthu of the crowd was echoed when the familiar voice said, ‘Hi, I am Bryan'. He began with the hit portions of ‘Everything I Do.’ Being the eve of Valentine’s Day, love was so in the air, the atmosphere just terrific.

The entire crowd switched to electric mode just when Bryan performed his ever-loved classic ‘Let’s make a night to remember,’ followed by ‘Run To You,’ ‘18 Till I Die,’ ‘Summer Of 69,’ and ‘Here I am.’
After ‘Summer of 69,’ the fever touched a new high, and the hungry fans were seen screaming "Encore". My group was standing in the middle of the ground, so it was getting difficult to watch him up and close, never mind, we enjoyed the music and the atmosphere around. As we were preparing to leave the venue, it was amusing to see fans outside waiting to get our tickets.


This blog post has also appeared in the Variety section of Views Journal, an online news and features portal. To read the article, visit http://www.viewsjournal.com/variety/68-electric-mesmerizing-and-feverish.aspx.

KOCHI WELCOMES YOU...

Get Ready For The Battle...

11:29 pm, Dec 31, 2010

Recapitulating the fine moments of this wonderful year now... Thanks to all who have made this year really memorable...
Wishing all my readers a very very Happy New Year 2011... May this year bring all goodness and happiness to all...

Good Wishes,
Uthara