Life Etc Etc

Overview   I haven't done a movie review in a long time. Possibly because nothing was striking a chord or energizing me enough to write about it. Now let's address the burning question.  Why 'Cellular'? Why now? Simple, it was mightily entertaining and helped to enliven an otherwise drab day.  You might say, this was the same thing I had said for some other reviews.  My reply would be that I wholeheartedly accept that observation. Plus what more do you need to espouse a movie when it keeps you hooked all throughout its duration. So let's dive into the nitty-gritty of the movie without any further ado. Cellular (2004)  Plot Carefree and somewhat sluggish Ryan ( Chris Evans ) is enjoying a typical sunny day on the Santa Monica pier when he runs into his ex,  Chloe ( Jessica Biel ) . Ryan offers to make it up to Chloe by helping out with her fundraiser. Chloe is not impressed but assigns an errand to Ryan. On the way to the errand , Ryan receives a mysterious ...

We are better if we lift ourselves through dire times Until Next Time, Your Philosopher of Life, Chaitanya J.J.

Until Next Time, Your Observer of Life, Chaitanya J.J.  

It has been a topsy-turvy year to say the least. Things have started to open up, people seem more relaxed, there's also a hint of normalcy yet there is more to it than what meets the eye. We are not fully out of the pandemic but sport along with its myriad incarnations is back in a major way. This in my opinion has been a substantial factor in driving out the gloom that had settled in since the onset of the pandemic. But sport by itself is nothing without the unbelievable individuals who permeate its every fabric. I was fortunate to witness the fascinating stories of some very talented sports people this year. Here in this blog I will try to do my best to not only recount those stories but also the various lessons that can be gleaned from them. So let's begin! Lesson 1 - You can't have it all Rarely has a tennis player looked so complete and as perfect as Novak Djokovic in full bloom. The year 2021 was set to be his signature year. He trampled competition at the Australian...

  Until Next Time, Your Quotemaster, Chaitanya J.J. 

Yet another loss to New Zealand in an ICC tournament but this didn't sting as much . Probably because we were outplayed the moment we picked two spinners on a green pitch under overcast conditions or was it when Indian batsmen lost their sense of purpose when all they had to do was bat for time on the all important final day. No that's not it, what beat us was our scheduling! We didn't even have a practice match while New Zealand was preparing itself for the WTC Final with a series against England . That's not it too, we picked three guys who hadn't bowled together as a unit for the past one year and left out the in-form Siraj. That's it, that's the reason we lost.  Mace of the champions (Courtesy: Free Press Journal ) The reasons could be many but the fact is we lost to a better side. Through all the rain and numerous interruptions one side never lost its focus and that side won. This is an undeniable fact and unlike the 2019 semi-final we were never c...

Italian Open Final : Third Set, One set All, Two games all and 30-40 in favor of Djokovic Djokovic had Nadal in all sorts of trouble forcing him to retrieve a down the line shot. Nadal could only get a one handed backhand to it, the ball looped up into air with Djokovic setting himself up for a crosscourt forehand smash. Djokovic never misses shots like these, I certainly expected him to make it but Tennis Gods probably had other plans for him. Nole's safe hands deserted him as he promptly deposited the ball into the net. It was a lucky reprieve for Rafa and I remember telling my father that the shot could probably cost Nole the championship. In half an hour's time my words would be vindicated as Rafa found his form and thundered away to his 10th championship at Foro Italico . This wasn't the first time I seemed to read the minds of tennis gods, my words would prove fatal in the semifinal too. Lorenzo Sonego was about to complete a remarkable turnaround with three break ...