Today I had an opportunity to watch for 1hr the movie Half Ticket
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056052/
with kids and wife.
Surprisingly it still entertains the audience. We were all in laughs at Kishore Kumar's antics.
The yongest kid was laughing her heart away. Coming at such a small age, she hardly understood the plot, which made Kishore Kumars antics even more laughable for her. Whilst the elder child didnt relish the movie as much his parents did (when they were kids and even today)
He seemed to lose interest the moment dinner was over and switched channels.
In today's day and age of High Tech Cartoons in full HD, where was he going to relate to Black n White comedy.
Nonetheless, Wife and I had a grand laugh. Laughter remidned me of my childhood. Infact just with this movie alone I have wonderful memories.
And if you grant me the lee-way, I'll bore you here a bit more.
Flash back 25 years or so, I was visiting my Masi (Mother's sister) during summer vacations. Visiting her was a treat for me, specially due
1) They being far better off financially than my parents -> So literally, we (My sister not so much) and myself would line up to visit Masi.
Masi had all that a kid would vye for. Expensive chocolates, Lots of Imported toys, a Hughe campus with lots of kids my age and my lovely cousin sisters.
2) They had a Colour TV and VCR
3) And they usually would rent out newest movies.
I was lireally spoilt for choice when I would visit her. It was paradise. Pure Bliss. It was Movie Bonanza clubbed with all sorts of eats that I would never have access to at home.
So one day, I demanded, I wanted to watch Half Ticket. Having heard rave reviews from my friends but havent watched the movie, had me craving for it. So Masi set out to call about 3 Video Parlours where they would typicially rent out VHS cassettes from. But to our dismay, none of them at the time had Half Ticket on shelf. So I was left dejected.
Months passed by and I was visiting her again, this time over an extended weekend. Usually extended weekends were less fun than Summer vacations, but fun nonetheless. So Masi had to visit a grocery store with my mum to buy our annual pulses (Wheat, Rice and Dal pulses for stocking up for the year). My mom seemed to ravel in these things and masi would never miss out an opportunity to leverage her expertise.
And whilst they were shopping, we stumbled into a unique grocey store, who was Grocer cum Video Parlour guy.
And guess what, right on his display was Half Ticket. My joy knew no bounds. I requested Masi if she could rent it for us.
She asked the grocer who happily let her rent it for 100/- INR deposit as it was our 1st transaction.
So I couldnt wait to come home to watch it. When all my cousins were home, we loaded the cassette into VCR and what unfolded infront of the house was totally anarchy. I laughed my heart out, so loud at time, that others in the home thought I had gone crazy. Tears kept streaming from sheer laughing. But I couldnt stop laughing n crying. It was an experience, I so vividly remember.
And then mid way through the movie, for the 1st time in long long time as my memory could serve us, Power failed in Masi's house. The entire neighbourhood had a power outage. Thus our cassette was stuck into the VCR.
Unfortunately, the agreement with the grocer was to return the cassette to him in the evening same day, as supposedly he had lot of demand for it.
So the grocer sent for a pick up guy to collect it in the evening. But due to power outage we hadnt seen it completely. Masi called the grocer and reasoned for extra day for us.
We had a re-run of the entire movie again that night. And again, I laughed like crazy. Like I never ever have or perhaps will.
And yes, it was a happy ending. I still cherish that movie.
Flash forward today, again after having seen the movie after 25yrs or so, the laughs indeed were toned down. But what was refreshing is even after 3 generations, the movie still makes it audience laugh.
That is an attribute to sheer brilliance of Kishore Kumar and simplicity of the plot.
No fancy script, no high profile sets, no animation and no special effect. Yet, Yet, Kishore kumar still rocks us all.
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Crawford Market, Mumbai, MH, IN.. Must do it again. This time right.
Well recently my wife and I went to Crawford Market for purchasing a Steel Cupboard in Kalbadevi.
Whilst, there are lots of avenues to shop around for variety of goods, the plan of action should be simple
1) Visit very early. Try to get there before sun is overhead. Say at 0900 AM IST
2) Have a list of to buy products. There is incredibly large variety of goods on offer. Kids Toys, Women's & Kids clothing, Imitation Watches, Foot Wear, Ladies Handbags and beauty care. I am not going to articulate all the vares. There are many reviews on TripAdvisor.com just for that
3)Bargain Hard... But wait, before you bargain, dont ask the final price. Visit all the street hawkers and check their offered price. Dont show intent for a sale as yet.
Once you have visited all hawkers and identified a product, home into these vendors for their final price. And bargain hard. If you are buying in bulk the discount is significantly higher.
It was shopping paradise for my wife. We spent just 2hrs as it was quite late (2105 IST)
But certainly, its an entertaining affair at the Crawford Market.
I certainly need to visit it again and this time on weekday and early morning.
1) Visit very early. Try to get there before sun is overhead. Say at 0900 AM IST
2) Have a list of to buy products. There is incredibly large variety of goods on offer. Kids Toys, Women's & Kids clothing, Imitation Watches, Foot Wear, Ladies Handbags and beauty care. I am not going to articulate all the vares. There are many reviews on TripAdvisor.com just for that
3)Bargain Hard... But wait, before you bargain, dont ask the final price. Visit all the street hawkers and check their offered price. Dont show intent for a sale as yet.
Once you have visited all hawkers and identified a product, home into these vendors for their final price. And bargain hard. If you are buying in bulk the discount is significantly higher.
It was shopping paradise for my wife. We spent just 2hrs as it was quite late (2105 IST)
But certainly, its an entertaining affair at the Crawford Market.
I certainly need to visit it again and this time on weekday and early morning.
Humility.. Paramount.
I recently blogged about my adventure in procurring cupboard for my house.
We stumbled into lot of stores in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, MH, India and surveyed the offerring and their price.
All stores close at about 0715 PM IST. So get there by noon for having sufficient time as there are about 12+ stores in 3min walking distance.
We visited just a few. My father had done something simular for their needs 6month ago. So he already knew which were the best among these.
We went to Venus Stores 301, Kalbadevi Road, Kalbadevi, Mumbai - 400002
The owner himself greeted us and showed all the offerings on display (about 6 variants) He went over the minor intricacies about each offering and more importantly why his price was higher. IMHO, far higher than the rest on the market.
But what was starking and a very notable attribute was his Humility. The owner listened to each and every query of ours. Even if it meant we repeated the same question 10th time. He responded to us each time with a smile and enthusiasm. At no point did he get fed-up with us. He was extremely courteous and very down to earth. Despite the fact that that guy owns a huge factory on Goregoan W , right on the prime area That he can very well over see the display and demonstration of cupboards from his staff (equally qualified) and relax on his svivel chair.
It was very refreshing to see, such people still exist in this day and age where people treat each purchase as a commodity. The Sales rep at the other end is least interested in the sale. And knows as much as you do, that customer has done all the investigation on the features and price upfront.
There is a very strong message in the entire transaction for me. Humility. Treat every probably customer right and no matter if he does the sale or not, you would have left a lasting impression. I highly recommend Venus stores a visit , even if you dont buy from them. At least please hear their sales pitch before you make your buy.
I definitely need to embibe this in my work.
Note to Self: Delivery was 10 years ago.
All stores close at about 0715 PM IST. So get there by noon for having sufficient time as there are about 12+ stores in 3min walking distance.
We visited just a few. My father had done something simular for their needs 6month ago. So he already knew which were the best among these.
We went to Venus Stores 301, Kalbadevi Road, Kalbadevi, Mumbai - 400002
The owner himself greeted us and showed all the offerings on display (about 6 variants) He went over the minor intricacies about each offering and more importantly why his price was higher. IMHO, far higher than the rest on the market.
But what was starking and a very notable attribute was his Humility. The owner listened to each and every query of ours. Even if it meant we repeated the same question 10th time. He responded to us each time with a smile and enthusiasm. At no point did he get fed-up with us. He was extremely courteous and very down to earth. Despite the fact that that guy owns a huge factory on Goregoan W , right on the prime area That he can very well over see the display and demonstration of cupboards from his staff (equally qualified) and relax on his svivel chair.
It was very refreshing to see, such people still exist in this day and age where people treat each purchase as a commodity. The Sales rep at the other end is least interested in the sale. And knows as much as you do, that customer has done all the investigation on the features and price upfront.
There is a very strong message in the entire transaction for me. Humility. Treat every probably customer right and no matter if he does the sale or not, you would have left a lasting impression. I highly recommend Venus stores a visit , even if you dont buy from them. At least please hear their sales pitch before you make your buy.
I definitely need to embibe this in my work.
Note to Self: Delivery was 10 years ago.
Iron Cupboards... HowTo Buy guide.
We recently visited Kalbadevi Cupboard stores to procure iron cupboards. Use wood was not my type. Considering we have termite infestation in the building.
The strategy was supposedly simple.
1) Identify the guage (16/18, 18/20, 20/22) Pls note, the 1st set of digits before / are for outer door (which is lower number signifying heavier sheet in use. The second set of digits after the / signiy the sheet (which is higher number indicating thinner sheet in use) for interiors of the cupboard (i.e shelves, drawers, the lock-n-key vault)
Traditionally, people have tended to secure the heaviest cupboard that they can buy. We too were of the same old tradition, we wanted to buy 16/18 guage. But then the owner at the "Venus" store suggested, people now dont buy cupboards for storing valuables, its just a cupboard for clothes. Gone are the days when cupboard was valued as a safe. Also, 16/18 being heavier will also be more expensive. Such an expenditure is not warranted. There was clearly a 30% mark up on the price over the 2nd heavier option 18/20.
The owner, also strongly (and surprisingly) recommended opting 18/20. He said, anything below that is way too light and wont last long. We were surprised to hear such an advice. After all for him there was money to be made in the sale. Yet he suggested what was right.
So the 1st parameter was secured: 18/20 it was
2) Width of the cupboard The standard out of the box as it might dimension for width is 36" (3feet). There were on display 40" cupboards and they felt significantly more spacious. We worked out our wall dimensions and said 40" will fit fine. So 40" it was. So yes, our cupboard will be custom made :-)
3) Layout of the cupbaord. Specifically (the number of drawers) It seems, the number of drawers (one v/s two) alter the price. All cupboard have a lock-n-key vault and 3 shelves.
4) The Handle on the main door. Two varitions : Traditional swing to open v/s Click locks The price for Click lock is significantly higher. We felt Click lock to feel more stylish, kind of making a fashion statement. So opted for it
5) Additional Shelves Ofcours the half shelves cost extra , just as the full shelves do. We wanted half and full shelves. So those were added in.
6) Round off the costs, negotiate a discount and the deal is sealed.
Delivery to door step till ground floor is free, If elevators cannot be used, Every level on the building that the Porters will have to lift the cupboard costs extra.
Overall, despite my initial thoughts, that the visit would be relatively simple turned out to be quite an exercise. I hope this helps someone in their pursuit. Happy cupboard hunting.
The strategy was supposedly simple.
1) Identify the guage (16/18, 18/20, 20/22) Pls note, the 1st set of digits before / are for outer door (which is lower number signifying heavier sheet in use. The second set of digits after the / signiy the sheet (which is higher number indicating thinner sheet in use) for interiors of the cupboard (i.e shelves, drawers, the lock-n-key vault)
Traditionally, people have tended to secure the heaviest cupboard that they can buy. We too were of the same old tradition, we wanted to buy 16/18 guage. But then the owner at the "Venus" store suggested, people now dont buy cupboards for storing valuables, its just a cupboard for clothes. Gone are the days when cupboard was valued as a safe. Also, 16/18 being heavier will also be more expensive. Such an expenditure is not warranted. There was clearly a 30% mark up on the price over the 2nd heavier option 18/20.
The owner, also strongly (and surprisingly) recommended opting 18/20. He said, anything below that is way too light and wont last long. We were surprised to hear such an advice. After all for him there was money to be made in the sale. Yet he suggested what was right.
So the 1st parameter was secured: 18/20 it was
2) Width of the cupboard The standard out of the box as it might dimension for width is 36" (3feet). There were on display 40" cupboards and they felt significantly more spacious. We worked out our wall dimensions and said 40" will fit fine. So 40" it was. So yes, our cupboard will be custom made :-)
3) Layout of the cupbaord. Specifically (the number of drawers) It seems, the number of drawers (one v/s two) alter the price. All cupboard have a lock-n-key vault and 3 shelves.
4) The Handle on the main door. Two varitions : Traditional swing to open v/s Click locks The price for Click lock is significantly higher. We felt Click lock to feel more stylish, kind of making a fashion statement. So opted for it
5) Additional Shelves Ofcours the half shelves cost extra , just as the full shelves do. We wanted half and full shelves. So those were added in.
6) Round off the costs, negotiate a discount and the deal is sealed.
Delivery to door step till ground floor is free, If elevators cannot be used, Every level on the building that the Porters will have to lift the cupboard costs extra.
Overall, despite my initial thoughts, that the visit would be relatively simple turned out to be quite an exercise. I hope this helps someone in their pursuit. Happy cupboard hunting.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Solo Microwave
Well our faithful microwave of 7+ yrs died after great service.
The Model was: LG MS-1927C (700W, Mechanical Rotary Dial, Solo)
All it could do was heat food and all we wanted from it was just that.
It was a perfect harmony, until recently when its Magnatron (suspected) failed.
The Turn Table would turn, the Bulb would light up and timer would tick fine too, but food wasnt getting warmed
A few calls to LG Authorized center revealed, Cost for the Magantron would be approx 1205/- + Installation Charges (350/-) There would be 3 months parts warranty.
But was the repair justified ? When a newever microwave is available strating from 3500/- I had made up my mind, repair aint gonna be.
Also I had 1500/- Reliance Digital vouchers languishing with me which had to be disposed off promptly. These vouchers added 90% more impetus towards getting a newver microwave v/s repair
All the while we were clear, we didnt want a newver microwave with Convection or with Grill or for that matter all those fancy features We just wanted plain microwave (Solo as its called in Marketting terms)
The next decision was to be made was do we want a Rotary mechanical dial v/s Digital touch button display for controls ? Our old microwave was Rotary Mechanical dial which served us great to be honest. But folks at home wanted to try something new, something different. So digital touch button display it was
Then a courtesy call to our trusted Reliance Digitial store revealed they had only 2 Solo models, one from LG and other from Samsung LG was expensive by 1500/- over Samsung, yet LG had slightly smaller cavity area compared to Samsung. Both had digitial displays with Touch controls
Thus the decision was made in matter of 20mins and deal was sealed The Model : Samsung MW73AD (Black Colour, 20lts, 700W, Digital Display with Touch buttons, Clock and 5 quick preset modes)
Once the microwave was home: Review:
1) The Bulb doesnt illuminate the cavity well enough. The Dark Black screen on the front cover doesnt help the cause either. WE have to lean close to the microwave to see if the food hasnt overheated
2) The touch buttons are stiff. Again the case of having bought an entry level microwave , you get what you pay for. There were high end microwaves for 13000/-
3) The 30+ button doesnt work in combination with other incremental buttons (10min, 1min can be mixed and matched)
4) There is a built in clock which you can setup and leave the Mains power on and it will happily display the time for eternity, until you switch off the microwave when it resets to 12:00. It has a power save mode, but we prefer switching off the mains. So the clock functionality will never be used.
5) The microwave takes a moment or two to initialise when powered on from the Mains. Perhaps all the digital circuitry within takes that time. Who knows. The impatient me was so used to the instant turn on that this moment or two wait is annoying.
Apart from the above, no complaints. It does the job well.
As a personal recommendation:
I strongly urge folks looking for a Solo Microwave cheaply is to
1) Consider a Non Branded Microwave (All these stores Chroma, Reliance, etc have their own brands which are OEMs from Korea)
2) Consider a Mechanical Rotary Dial for controls. Trust me, after having used the Digital touch dial, we seemed to have got over its beauty and qucikly realised Rotary dial is the best. It will perhaps last longer too over Digital touch
3) Shop around on Internet, but at the same time, visit the Brick-Mortar stores, they usually match the Online Prices.
A few calls to LG Authorized center revealed, Cost for the Magantron would be approx 1205/- + Installation Charges (350/-) There would be 3 months parts warranty.
But was the repair justified ? When a newever microwave is available strating from 3500/- I had made up my mind, repair aint gonna be.
Also I had 1500/- Reliance Digital vouchers languishing with me which had to be disposed off promptly. These vouchers added 90% more impetus towards getting a newver microwave v/s repair
All the while we were clear, we didnt want a newver microwave with Convection or with Grill or for that matter all those fancy features We just wanted plain microwave (Solo as its called in Marketting terms)
The next decision was to be made was do we want a Rotary mechanical dial v/s Digital touch button display for controls ? Our old microwave was Rotary Mechanical dial which served us great to be honest. But folks at home wanted to try something new, something different. So digital touch button display it was
Then a courtesy call to our trusted Reliance Digitial store revealed they had only 2 Solo models, one from LG and other from Samsung LG was expensive by 1500/- over Samsung, yet LG had slightly smaller cavity area compared to Samsung. Both had digitial displays with Touch controls
Thus the decision was made in matter of 20mins and deal was sealed The Model : Samsung MW73AD (Black Colour, 20lts, 700W, Digital Display with Touch buttons, Clock and 5 quick preset modes)
Once the microwave was home: Review:
1) The Bulb doesnt illuminate the cavity well enough. The Dark Black screen on the front cover doesnt help the cause either. WE have to lean close to the microwave to see if the food hasnt overheated
2) The touch buttons are stiff. Again the case of having bought an entry level microwave , you get what you pay for. There were high end microwaves for 13000/-
3) The 30+ button doesnt work in combination with other incremental buttons (10min, 1min can be mixed and matched)
4) There is a built in clock which you can setup and leave the Mains power on and it will happily display the time for eternity, until you switch off the microwave when it resets to 12:00. It has a power save mode, but we prefer switching off the mains. So the clock functionality will never be used.
5) The microwave takes a moment or two to initialise when powered on from the Mains. Perhaps all the digital circuitry within takes that time. Who knows. The impatient me was so used to the instant turn on that this moment or two wait is annoying.
Apart from the above, no complaints. It does the job well.
As a personal recommendation:
I strongly urge folks looking for a Solo Microwave cheaply is to
1) Consider a Non Branded Microwave (All these stores Chroma, Reliance, etc have their own brands which are OEMs from Korea)
2) Consider a Mechanical Rotary Dial for controls. Trust me, after having used the Digital touch dial, we seemed to have got over its beauty and qucikly realised Rotary dial is the best. It will perhaps last longer too over Digital touch
3) Shop around on Internet, but at the same time, visit the Brick-Mortar stores, they usually match the Online Prices.
Monday, February 09, 2015
To be a Flautist or not to be
I have a childhood dream of being a flautist, but never went ahead in putting efforts into it.
The reason for choosing flute as an organ v/s other popular ones (Guitar/etc) are
1) It helps regulate breathing
2) Its extremely small instrument (Subject to debate) compared to Guitar so easy to travel with it
3) Its very cheap to procure (Subject to debate)compared to Guitar
4) Its easy to procure (In India one can get flutes abundantly)
So I went about googling for Institutes that offer tutions around it in my vicinity.
I figured out a Tutor who would visit my home and offere 1hr sessions each week for a fee.
It would take me 1.5yrs at least to get proficient in flute playing to be of any notice. As such any organ to learn/master is a life time process.
Thus I figured out, at the moment, I dont want to invest in it.
Thus the dream still stays.. a dream.
I hope some day I can realise it.
Sunday, February 08, 2015
ToDo list
Here is my ToDo list that I conjured up in 10mins. I'll gradually keep adding to this list and see how much I can fulfill at the end of the year.
2015: The year of no regrets.
1) Visit Aksha Beach Completed.
2) Visit Elephanta Caves
3) Visit Kaneri Caves
4) Visit National Park
5) Visit Mumbai Zoo (Rani Baug in Byculla)
6) Visit Hanging Garden
7) ... Still .. To Add
Aksha Beach Calling
Finally after almost a year and a half , I will be visiting Aksha Beach
The reasons are, Well inhibitors best not made public ;-) unless I want to get slaughtered ;-)
So lets see what evening lies ahead for us. This time around I have excited adequate people from my daughter's school to participate.
So we are over 10 adults and 15+ kids meeting up. Everyone is getting something or the other, so its a small snack treat too.
I always found beach to bring in the calm and serenity that we all miss when away sucked up in hectic work
No matter of how much you unwind over the weekends, a trip to the beach is a stress buster
Building Sand Castles, Getting feet wet, counting waves, watching the sun go behind the horizon...
Well some things are free, yet so good.
A visit to the beach has to top my list.
Updates: 08/02/2015
We were 8 couples and their kids. We all had a great time there.
We built sand castles, lots of them, Got our feet wet in the waves, had tons to snack.
All around it was great fun.
Now looking forward to organising another trip to the beach, either in group or solo.
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Be Nice, its just a job !!
iTunes Internet Radio : My Saviour
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