Movies To Silliness....

Whew! its been another whirlwind week. Usually I get sucked into such weekends once in 3-4 years. Maybe five. And not if I can help it. This time I happened to be on ground zero and there was no way I could avoid the backbreaking work that came with it. We had to do a bit of re-structuring and had to redo the closets. Anyways, the weekend came by and went away and I was still in active duty longing for an evening's rest. So when the moment finally came, it was a welcome sight. It was also a week when we got a new car. A process that requires a lot of paperwork especially if you are resorting to external financing for the car purchase. Just a bit too much. Sometimes you cannot pack enough into a single weekend.

To get a breather, I decided to check out some movie reviews so that I could plan for an evening at the theaters. And that's when it all started. After reading a review in a famous website, I happened to see the readers' comments posted below the review. Strangely enough, the comments had nothing to with the movie or about the review. Some of them were just brickbats hurled at the reviewer questioning his IQ. Some were hurled at the lead actors of the movie (just because they were not the favorite actors of the reader). Some were verbal duels between one reader and the other, just because one guy didn't like the way the other reader crossed his t's. And between all this muddle, some comments were about all things that we normally don't like to talk about and then some. I got so caught up in reading this vile stuff that I decided to check the comments for other movie reviews. As expected, they were getting worse by the minute. Some were so bad that they had been deleted by the moderators for abuse. So I didn't go there. But the thing I didn't understand was, why were people using this forum for a slanging contest? Was it deliberate or was it just a normal reaction to any article?

Recently a celebrity blogger threatened to stop blogging because of the readers' rude and abusive comments on a regular basis. Looks like this pandemic has spread wide across the internet. I remember another incident that happened in one of the mailing groups I was part of. A harmless meeting request mail sent by a lady was responded to by a very nasty mail. The sender used all his bad mouthing skills on her and I am sure that if that lady had seen the email, she'd be reduced to tears. The group admin took immediate action on the hatemail and traced out the email id. It so turned out that this email was sent by a schoolkid just because he didn't understand why he was receiving these "stupid" mails from some unknown group though it was he who had registered to be a part of this group. And the school happened to be one of those elite private schools where the well-heeled send their kids to become future responsible citizens. A pity.

Just like some tools are not supposed to be handled by a monkey, some profanities should not be learned or used by some people. It gives them a bad case of halitosis. In some cases it goes beyond that. If the person at the receiving end is a celebrity then the intensity goes up. And ever since people have been able to hide behind IP addresses and funny aliases, they have expressed their freedom of speech a bit too often and without purpose. Its like that scene from medieval times where the armies stood safely atop the castle towers and poured boiling oil over their enemies attempting to climb the castle walls. At least there it made sense. Here, it just doesn't. How I wish these literate people who've got access to the internet do not use it to show off their limited knowledge. Well, let me get back and watch that movie anyways. Hope it takes my mind off this silliness.

Weekend Buzz: Concerts, Flights, Flu and Assignments

Last weekend started off on a nice note. Saturday was the day of the 'Burn Notice' marathon and I was able to catch up on the episodes I had missed earlier. Then started a dull Sunday that brightened up after I got myself invited to a concert. More than the concert (though the concert was good), it was the venue that proved to be more interesting. Stern Grove, as the venue is known, is a natural canyon kind of formation surrounded by eucalyptus (or redwood, take your pick. They're really tall) trees. It forms a perfect natural amphitheater with excellent acoustics despite the sound dampening affect of the woods. The efforts that have gone to preserve this natural habitat in the middle of a city are truly commendable. With a great weather, and with several pretty faces making it a point to attend, it was a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. What followed was a great dinner at a downtown restaurant. But the icing on the cake was the completion of an economics assignment which I well believed was nothing short of a miracle. Truly satisfying.

This weekend started with the long travel back home. Before departure, as I stared at the huge aircraft (a 747-400) from the boarding gate, I realized how ungainly this bird looks on the tarmac in contrast to its sleek profile in the air. So while I was having these thoughts about aesthetics and functionality, a pretty couple walked upto me and wanted their picture to be taken with the 747's nose in the background. I agree that I look friendly and approachable enough for being trusted with a camera, but being photographed with a huge nose in the background is beyond me. Nevertheless, it was an idea and after the couple left, I took a photograph of the nose for myself. Just in case.

Anyways, upon arrival back home, I was amused and also happy to find a bunch of medical staff with nose masks scanning passengers for possible symptoms of swine flu. We had to clear their scrutiny before we could approach the customs and immigration. Looks like a lot of thought had also gone into the H1N1 medical information form (that was given to us just before landing)considering that some of these forms are really tiresome to begin with. It was crisp and simple. But despite the med staff's efficient processing, some of my fellow passengers were still impatient with them. I guess its just a force of habit. I wish the passengers showed a little more courtesy to these med staff who are working unearthly hours just to ensure we did not go home with an infection and afflict our near and dear with this now (in)famous flu.

Well, swine flu or not, now that I am back home, it will be a few more days before my circadian rhythms get adjusted to the local timezone. Till then, I will be holidaying at the Wii Sports Resort at 3 am in the mornings.