Just another day…

Just another day in the life of an S/W engineer……

The alarm continuously blared, deafening my ears

Not just once, twice, but thrice

Perhaps to indicate the sunrise

Lazy enough, I woke up reluctantly

Putting an end to an unfurnished dream

Presto!! It was 7.15 am, I had to scream

In attempt to run the daily chore

Took a toothbrush in one hand and a bath robe in the other

I realized it was time to take a shower

Time was racing ahead, while I was busy

Searching for the iron-crease pant, shoes and socks, all scrambled

I wonder at times, why these things couldn’t be ‘google’d

Just in the nick of time, got hold of my office bus

Managed to spot a window seat

To catch a glimpse of nature’s treat

Minutes passed, Time Elapsed

I found myself in front of a PC

Thinking how this gadget drives me crazy

Checked my inbox, only to learn that I was flooded with mails

Eventually lost myself in the world of Code reviews, Bug fixing, Meeting Deadline…

But what I have actually lost is only a fair amount of hairline

My computer screen clocked 1 pm, it was lunch time

Endless delicacies were lined up to treat the taste buds

But an elite crowd felt the real delicacy lies only with the cigarette buds

Eyes were begging for a quick nap, courtesy: heavy lunch

Alarmingly, my boss buzzed me, time for a client meeting

In other words, a war minus shooting

After a much deserved tea break

I composed myself to work on the pending task

What really posed like a daunting task

At 10 pm, tiredness and stress got the better of me

Long hours and stuck in the confines of my bay

I pushed myself to call it a day

The alarm continuously blared, again

Wish the day could be a Sunday

But the calendar read “Thursday’

Just another day in the life of an S/W engineer……

Cryptic Crosswords...

http://www.anandnatrajan.com/FAQs/crosswords.html

Aa..Aa... FM!

Crawl through any major road in Madras, you'll chance upon a hoarding! On one such instance I got myself entangled to an array of vinyl boards, ostentatiously displaying foul-smelling ads of Aaha FM!

And this blog is to give vent to my anger against such one-off dirty-advertising!

I must admit the fact that I've never seen such an inapt and filthy advertising for quite some time.Snaps of women and men spanning all age, sweating and prompting a sleazy face, with a catch-phrase “Pozhudhupokkin Ucchakattam”! Boy, what is the fuckin' rationale behind this catch phrase and the snaps???? I don’t understand…

When I first caught a glimpse of that ad, I felt it was sensual & provocative. The expression they carried on their face did really tantamount to the animated face engaged in foreplay.

Any ad-man, who's worth his salt, wouldn’t have ventured out for this soon-to-be-forgotten ad!

the pursuit of happγness

Inspired by a true story, Gabriele Muccino's 'the pursuit of happγness' is a heart-warming narrative that epitomizes the poignant relationship between a father and a son, captured through various phases of life!

Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a salesman, runs from pillar to post selling bone-density scanners, a medical equipment device, for a living. He finds it hard to make ends meet as he tastes little success with his profession. Married to Linda (Thandie Newton), Chris is blessed with Christopher (Jaden Smith), whom he cherishes, more than anything in his life.

Chris's life is deprived of what every lower-middle-class family is deprived of. Happγness! Desperate to get relieved from the cruelty of a discontented life, Chris decides to get rid of the ill-fated scanner business, and looks out for a new calling.

He gets to know about an internship program at a Stockbroker firm, Dean Witter Reynolds. Chris slips into a tête-à-tête with Jay Twistle, Resource Head at Dean Witter and makes the best of the opportunity by solving the Rubik's Cube immaculately! Jay Twistle, who observes this amazing ability of Chris, pulls him to the internship program, but without any salary. Chris now had the onus of outsmarting other interns, because only one intern was hired for Dean Witter from a pool of 20. Also, he never quitted the scanner business, as it was the only source of income. This meant, he had to slog all day long!

Things go awry, when Chris Gardner takes a double blow, Linda deserts the family to lead a separate life at New York and Chris finds himself ousted out of his apartment by the owner, owing to his constant slippage in paying rents. He had nowhere to go! Fraught with debt, to the Income Tax Department, his bank account would be locked anytime. He was literally bankrupt. Crestfallen Chris hits the nadir of his life! Left with no options, he wanders like a nomad in the streets of San Francisco, along with his son. And out of the blue, Chris takes a bizarre decision to spend the rest of the night at a rest-room (read cave) of a railway station!

Oh, Gosh! What scene that was! I wonder how a director could craft the best scene of the movie in a rest-room!!! Kudos to Muccino! Chris and his son confined to a rest-room! Chris locks the rest-room and parks his right leg against the door, to prevent people from gaining access to the rest room. At one point, an outsider persistently tries to unlock the rest-room, and Chris tries to stop him from the other side of the door, clutching his son who's in the middle of a deep sleep, and tears trickle down the cheeks of Chris. Just imagine!

That scene stands out. I am sure it would have deeply moved Al Pacino!

After all the tribulations that he had to undergo, Chris Garden finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel as he emerges successful in the internship program and eventually gets hired by Dean Witter.

The dialogues & interludes between Chris and his Son were impeccably penned & captured. Worth a special mention is the top-angle shot at the rest-room! Although the movie moves at snail's pace, one can't really reprehend the director, because movies such as this, ought to progress slowly and the script badly demands it. Music was no great shakes, although it had great scope!

As far as the performances go, well it's a one-man-show. Will Smith dons the role of a father to perfection, and it's Will Smith all the way.

A job well-done Mr. Gabriele Muccino!