Movie review - Inside out 2

“I am a good person”, Vis-à-vis “I am not good enough.”

The ultimate battle of emotions! Animation movie, “Inside out 2”

“You went to see an animation movie in theatre?! How silly of you!”

Well! Silly or not, the movie “Inside out” was nothing less than a masterclass for me on how to tackle emotional personas. Things I learned from this mind-blowing movie:

1.      Anxiety is not always bad. It can sometimes help you be better or prep for things which seem big in your head. If handled properly, it can enable your transition from good to perfection. Riley was anxious regarding not being able to perform well in the Ice hockey game, this fear of hers acted as a catalyst and encouraged her to practice really hard in the wee hours of the morning and finally become a force to reckon with during the game. 

2.      If not reigned in properly, anxiety has the capacity to get more lethal than heart disease probably. We might end up destroying things that are going good in our lives if we unnecessarily worry or overthink. As shown in the movie when Riley lies sleepless at night ruminating over imaginative negative outcomes of the match.

3.      Every emotion is integral in giving foundation and shape to our lives. The much-demonized sadness can act as a prism at times and help us view things from a different lens altogether. Perspective matters.

4.      The desire to fit in with your peer group may rob you off your individuality or uniqueness in life. Riley gets her hair colored to match with her peers in the game, to increase her sense of belongingness. She loses touch not just with her old friends in the process but also with reality, only to regain everything at the end, after she manages to win her sense of self. Sometimes in life too, things seem too convoluted to tackle or out of our zone of influence. But what is well within our control is how we react to the situation. Embrace every emotion, every ambiguity, every hurdle on the path. Because that’s what adds layers or flavors to our individuality.

Moral of the story: 

Never be afraid to be different. 

All your emotions [Joy, sadness, anger, anxiety, envy, disgust, boredom etc] contribute to your overall personality. Removing one or the other may disturb the balance of your persona and you might end up losing your sense of self. No single emotion in isolation is good or bad. It’s the judicious mix of it, that make you stand out and be UNIQUE in this mundane world which forces you at times to conform, to blend in, to lose your individuality. No wonder, the great Steve Jobs proclaimed once upon a time, “Dare to be different”

 

So go ahead and watch, “Inside out 2”, not just for the child in you but for the adult as well!

Me and my bibliophilia

I consider the habit of reading as the cheapest therapy available. Its one of the best investments that we can do in ourselves. Other than exercise may be reading is probably the only activity that gives ROI in multiples. It not only enables you with a perspective but is also the best escape possible from the mundanity of life. And the best part is, it gives you a definite edge over your peers when it comes to putting your point across in the quickest possible way. Reading has direct correlation with the art of writing. Anybody who reads voraciously does indeed write well. We write around 150-200 emails on an average each single day, just imagine the power you would wield if you had your way with words. And honestly speaking, it’s a habit that anybody can pick up or build on over a period if you are not blessed with it.

Personally speaking, I am not really sure, if this skill was something I was born with or I developed over time. But I did enjoy reading as a kid. The first book that I ever read for pleasure was “Swami & Friends” by R.K Narayan in class 6^th. My Big brother used to love reading and he was a member of Max Mueller Bhawan when we were in Rourkela. He introduced me to the world of books. He got me this delightful book and that’s how I learned that there is a big, beautiful world out there at my fingertips and I can travel the world far and wide just by getting a book in my hands. In school we used to have a class period once a week called “Library”, and I remember very vividly finishing every book that I used to take. “Little women” was the second one that I read and loved every bit of it. Till then also, I don’t remember being aware of the fact that I was any good when it came to anything literary. I was pleasantly surprised to score the highest marks in English in Class 10^th. A 90 at that. May be that was the time I got an inkling for the first time. In +2 [College], first year I participated in an English Essay competition. They gave us a topic on the spot and our entries were sent to the Higher Secondary Board in Bhubaneswar. All the entries received from colleges in the state were evaluated and winners were to be decided. After 6 months or so, I received a letter that I won the first prize in the state level English Essay competition and the top 3 winners were to be felicitated in the Board office in Bhubaneswar. It was such a proud moment for my parents. And then I received the 1^st prize again in second year as well. Double whammy! One time can be a fluke, but second time as well?! Ok, may be, I was actually good?

And then life happened, I joined the workforce. But the love for reading and writing continues.

Friday evening musings...

Lately I was reading some posts on the subject of boredom. A person who calls himself a corporate slave had posted about his dead-end job and how he felt demotivated. There were lot of comments on that topic with some really insightful ones providing help. All that deep discussion really made me ponder over the subject...

Ever since the pandemic made home-birds out of all of us, boredom and fatigue have been a regular concern for people around us. Wake up, think what to make or have for breakfast, zomato or swiggy, or if there are no morning calls then pull out the inner home-goddess in you and make an omelette or Upma. Then back to the laptop...till its time for lunch....again back to work...evening...time to make tea....again back to work....laptop always remains open till its weekend. If you are one of those health conscious types, then of course you carve out some time in your daily schedule to move those adipose tissue to get a sense of accomplishment. Copy this routine for two long years. It would be enough to drive any sensible person insane. Now that we are almost out of the pandemic, the new world of work seems bizarre to say the least. Why are there so many cars on the road, why are people not coming to office, where are they actually going, why restaurant food feels so good, why the resorts in all hill stations are overbooked, why have the airline fares gone astronomically high...All minds and bodies are totally out of sync with the new ways of the world. Just last week, I was in office and talking to two of my colleagues. In the middle of the conversation, when one of them went silent, I caught myself saying, "Can you hear me?!"  And then I realised, this is not a Teams call but real F2F conversation, why the hell am I saying, "Can you hear me?" Lolz! And we all burst out in laughter. 

I find myself making elaborate plans for Friday evening, and then change my mind when I see the season 2 of "Bollywood celebrity housewives" got released on Netflix. Somehow the world on the screen seems more tempting to experience rather than the real world outside. I just made some Ginger tea and now sipping it with Good day biscuits...Netflix is on and the overladen skies promise me some incoming showers. Life is good, and I am truly thankful. 

So what about boredom/fatigue etc. Are you kidding me? Its a privilege to be alive, working and living the life we do.

Baker Street - Pondicherry

 Have you ever eaten a croissant, that transports you to heaven on a magical carpet of sensations that your taste buds never experienced before?

I had a similar experience sometime back at a bakery named, "Baker Street" in Pondicherry. I usually google the top 10 places to eat whenever I visit a new city and try to visit at least 5. Baker Street repeatedly came up on my searches and also on different youtube videos about Pondy. 

So I enter the bakery and I am pleasantly surprised at the huge rush during the non-peak hours. It was around 3ish. A sweet smell of sugar and vanilla pervades the atmosphere and I detect a glint in everyone's eye, as they browse through the exhaustive items on display. I have never been a big fan of bakery items, but after moving to BLR, I have developed a taste for Egg puffs and croissants. Iyengar bakery items are so good here. So I ordered a croissant and a chocolatine. A chocolatine is similar to croissant but with choco nuggets embedded in different flaky layers. Along with a cappuccino. It took almost 10 mins for my order to arrive. I am perplexed, as it should not take more than 2 minutes to nuke the items in microwave. But I ignore that line of thought so that I can focus on the food first.

I glance at the baked goods and even before I take the first bite, the aroma of the flakes envelopes my senses. I take a bite of the Chocolatine. My eyes close automatically, as the flaky layers break with a crunch and join harmoniously with my palate singing songs of delight. With each bite, I rise higher and higher as if I am floating on a cloud of puff. I don't want the experience to end, I don't want the croissant and Chocolatine ever to get over. But it does. And that too quite fast. Along with cappuccino, the gastronomical experience is just perfect. I am torn with the thoughts of how to carry this experience with me back to Bangalore. How do I carry the Croissants and Chocolatines, will it be as tasty and crispy as it is now? How many to take? 

I go there again the next day. My plans to visit Auroville gets tossed in the air. Baker Street is my Auroville. Baker Street is my Matri-mandir. I order a Chicken Burger along with the other stuff. The burger turns out to be the best burger of my life. Pure chicken it is, hardly any batter in it. I relish it as slowly as possible. So soft and juicy. I can't help myself but I finish it along with another croissant, even though I am stuffed to my gills after the buffet breakfast in the hotel. Then like a stroke of genius, a thought hits me. They do not microwave the stuff, they actually put it in an oven for 10 minutes, before serving. Thats why its so flaky and not soggy and soft. I order dozens of my favourite items and start my drive back to Bangalore after carefully stacking the boxes in the back seat.

I reach home and the first thing I do is to pre-heat the oven for 10 mins at 350 degree C. Then I carefully place the Chocolatine in it and turn on the heat for 10 minutes. Voila! It comes out exactly the same as served in the bakery. Super-flaky and crispy! And the chocolate nuggets have slightly melted and oozes out of the layers. Ahh, Nirvana! Once again!

Namma Bengaluru...

 Lately I have been hooked to Reddit like crazy, after my brother introduced me to this amazing platform where you can browse through interesting topics of your choice and enjoy/learn from the discussion threads, and here people most of the times genuinely share POVs that are well thought through.

So I came across too many threads on BLR bashing. People have been venting out how the city has become unlivable due to astronomical rents and pathetic roads etc.

I thought, let me jot down my POV as well.

I moved to BLR almost 4 years back for work. And to be honest, I have been in love with the city ever since. Let me not harp on traffic woes and real estate issues here, because they fade out when compared to the myriad pluses that this city has.

1. The amazing BLR climate :

    The temperature hovers between 18-27 degrees throughout the year mostly. Avg temperature of the day remains around 25 degrees. I am a person who hates hot and humid weather. Born in Odisha, I had gotten used to temperatures of 40 and above. After I moved to US for two years, I wished for the same climate once I got back to India. Little did I know, that my fate would take me to a city in India where I would enjoy US like climate all through the year. Due to the climate may be, whatever plants you get, they flourish beautifully. So the avid gardener in me, is really liking it here. You rarely sweat and you feel fresh through out the day.

2. Ahh the food scene in BLR :

    This is not a city where you can diet at all. With restaurants galore, you will be spoiled for choices. Ordering food from the plethora of restaurants is the biggest temptation once has to deal with on a daily basis. The biryanis [Andhra, Hyd, Tamil variants], Sharwarmas [Savoury is the best] and delectable Idli and dosas. I can write a separate blog just on the top 3 Idli places. [SN Refreshments in Jaya Nagar is my fav]. And the bonus is the Ramadan iftaari scene at Frazer town! 

3. BLR People :

    The people here are very honest, supportive and genuine. I never had a bad experience so far apart from few stray incidents with Cabs. After that I take cabs only if its a matter of life and death. I enjoy driving and I don't mind BLR traffic because, it gives me a chance to listen to my fav music and catch up with my friends on phone.

4. Shopping in BLR :

    99% of all my favourite brands are located here, so I have no reason to miss USA. With Bath and Bodyworks opening here, I can't imagine putting anything on my shopping list when I go to USA next.

The city has given me a feeling of being rooted after a long time. I found solace here and after a long time I am finally in a place, where I can be myself, where I don't find the need to be elsewhere...the city has embraced me with open arms and I can't just have enough of it. Love you BLR! Always!