The Secret Dairies of Anne Lister (2010) [* * * * * *]

I downloaded this movie by mistake because it was under 'Toy Story 3', but I'm so glad I did. I've always been terrified of lesbians, because women tend to get quite close as friends. When they hit on you, its a violation of your privacy and gross manipulation. I'm sure hetero men would feel the same when confronted with a secretive gay man - probably why there's so much fear of it. I'd say lesbians are more pushy and domineering than even men at getting their own way with you.

This is a story of a lesbian in England (1791 - 1840), a rich orphan, who seduces several women in her lifetime, though she's madly in love with one, Marianna, who betrays her to get married to a man (for social approval). But you see a love as deep and true as in any forever-romance, from Anne Lister's side anyway.

She kept a secret diary, 1/6th in code (greek and algebra), with enormous output - 4 million words written at 2000 words a day(!) about her life and relationships. You see none of the usual tiptoeing around the truth that women do to protect tthe male, the social 'niceties' that conceal deep lying to oneself - just the raw woman and her clear comprehension. Fantastic, unusual even today, but in Jane Austen's contemporary ... unbelievable!

The movie is, barring a few racy scenes, a fabulous reminder of how hard women have struggled to come this far, 150 yrs of internal struggle - to reject marriage, which suits few, for security and social acceptance; to withstand patriarchal mockery when they take to industry or managing finances; above all, to put their own thinking mind as equal to a man's, and their own passions first. Women of substance and character.

Its a herstory of feminism: a woman's struggle to be who she truly is - written by a woman, about women and for the women she loved. Hats off and many thanks to the Anne Listers for freeing themselves, so that my choices and freedom aren't a struggle today!
Trailer of 'The Secret Dairies ...'

A frienly visit by the seasonal flu

That Tuesday was like any other day, the only difference was an odd sneeze at lunch time.
The custard apple which i had got a day earlier was beckoning me , as there were three in number.
dad got his friend that afternoon at the garden, and the magic number 3 seemed just right for sharing.
so there we were the three custard apples between ourselves, every thing seemed ok till dinner, when things started with an ache, and a raise in temperature.

Ohhhh la la la, the nose started to drip and the head started to feel heavy, the body pain was a horror, and all the adjectives the patients used to offer to express themselves was flowing in front to bear readings to the fever.

The mental faculties were expressing themselves with all the mail, commands, the flow of words on the screen, the downloading of lessons and the blogging all seemed to want the attention at the same time, this seemed like a new finding, which was not expressed by the patients.

I seemed to groan and moan and make all sorts of noises calling folks , present and those who had left, if only there was a passage, am sure they would have all come seeing my state i guess.

My lady made a brew of coriander seeds and country Jaggery and leaves of tulsi, the concoction did soothe my throat and must have had some internal effect as my fever was going down and the body aches bearable.

I took off from work and munched neem leaves when i could manage the bitterness, my appetite was down, the feeling of floating in the air very much present.

I had avoided all synthetic preparations for the episode, I had decided not to cut my bath, so the bath timings had been scheduled to the passing of the sun over head, and westernising movements.

All seemed well and the fever i guess took off faster than it would normally stay.

I was back to work and type and seek out those who needed what i had to share.
others noticed the loss of weight, but my attire of dhoti could not notice the change in the waist.

It was another of those fear mongering fevers, that left as a friend, whose statistical data's i could not add to their numbers.

The flues fly away if we do not hamper them to stay longer,our system gets stronger, and we get to feel all the parts of us, both physical and mental.

May be it is the help of the climate and family that takes the credit for the quick recovery, but our own system can manage most such troubles with out external influence.

The original face

It was another day spent, with the face changing innumerable times to suit the person in front, and changed according to the situation that i lost myself.

I was going to bed, with a thought how it would be to keep myself same, inspite of all the changes and folks who come on during the whole day.

It must have been just a few moments before i dozed away only to find myself in front of a happy go lucky face, asking if i was willing to come to see my original face, "good lord what an offer" i yelled.

I was getting a water bottle ready, when he said it was not a long journey, but only of depth, so i went along with him, he took me to one of my own home rooms, and dished out a mirror i had kept behind a cupboard.

He said it was a simple magic mirror which will show my original face, i told him i had used it before, but got nervous when i saw one with a large cut on the face in the mirror.

He smiled and vanished.

There i was with my own mirror of long standing, unused, i wiped it clean and sat down in front, times have passed and so has my patience.

After a few minutes of quietness, i saw a simple villager and turbaned and wiping away the sweat on his brow, his was a face of simpleness and silent happiness, fresh as the morning leaf on a plant in the garden.

I was back in bed, with thoughts of that person, and how that could be the original face, when i had the guest of the evening come back and say that " our original face is that which surfaces when we forget ourself in our doings."

Flash Gordon [1980] (* * *)

I remember seeing this movie in the late 1980s and being embarrassed for the actors, and for all of us watching them in x-rated outfits..:) I saw it again now and, after all the crap Hollywood has thrown at us and knowing how easily the west shed their clothes, it didn't look quite as bad.

Still, it doesn't compare against the backdrop of fabulous comic books movies in the last 20 yrs - Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Phantom, Tarzan, Incredible Hulk, etc. So I don't recommend it. The Flash Gordon comics are superb - this was just very very average in script, acting and set design.

I gave it 3 stars for Queen's fantastic score for the film.

Food Inc. (2008)(* * * * * *)

The total control of the food industry over the US is amazing. Its a painful video for a vegan to watch, but if you're eating meat and dairy, its a must-watch.

For a doctor, it would be interesting to see how salmonella and e.coli were created by the meat and dairy industry practices in the US, early onset diabetes and a resistance to antibiotics.


In terms of agriculture, the story is quite as bad with Monsanto monopolizing the seed production. They've developed a similar hold in India as well - virtually every seed bought in agricultural shops is Monsanto and genetically modified. Saving and selling your own seeds will push your shop out of business.

I'd like to see a similar story of the milk dairy industry in India which is far larger than any other single industry with very similar lobbying practices as the US.
Watch 'Food Inc.' in 11 parts here..

The Last Airbender (2010) [* * * * *]

At last! I've been such a mad fan of the cartoon series, I'd been hunting for this movie all over the net. So well worth a watch for any fan!

The movie was thoroughly trashed by its critics, a lot of it justified, but from me it gets top-rating. I couldn't believe how real the special effects were! The story came to life for me in my mind like never before. I can imagine how thrilled kids would be to see this amazing spiritual, martial arts movie bringing their heroes to life. If only I was in the 5 to 13 age group again, it would change my life.:)

But, being older, I have developed judgement: Night Shyamalan made a huge mistake casting an all-white set for Aang, Katara and Sokka - that's one of the glaring drawbacks from the very beginning. The 'why' gnaws at you. I so looked forward to a dark-skinned Katara and a Tibetan Aang!!:( Besides that, the dialogue didn't have much zing for an adult and the music too sober for kids... the movie though fabulous in capturing the feel, seems to have a beat missing - oh well, no Oscar, so what.

It was wonderful to see so many Indians on screen (yay, we were the Fire Nation!) and Shyamalan promises more multiculturalism to follow. It is meant to be a trilogy, I hope they make them all.

The story is of an Avatar, a child trapped in ice for a 100 yrs, who wakes up to a world where Water, Earth and Air Nations are being enslaved by the Fire Nation. Its up to him to save it. Fabulous story!

The Last Starfighter (1984) (* * *)

A very corny story about a video player who becomes the last starfighter to save two galaxies, but enjoyable nonetheless.


The thing about science fiction is that it can't help but be good, because it carries in it a projection of the future. That takes imagination rooted in reality. That's why so many sci fi stories have led innovation in science. Every single person has an impression of where we're going based on one's own experiences so these stories are like listening to someone else's experience.

In this story, for example, the young boy is stuck in a trailer park with only a video game for amusement. He beats the highest score just because he's so frustrated with his life and he finds that he's been chosen by a galactic talent scout to be a starfighter, based on the computer simulation of the game. How amazing of the writer to think up a deeper reason for video games - 20 yrs later the US Army is using similar techniques to train its army.