Friday, June 30, 2023

Koomam - Movie

 2022. Malayalam.

Interesting film about a police constable who is prone to be super-sensitive and wants to take revenge when slighted. For some reason he gets into a situation where he starts thieving and somehow uncovers a series of suicides that are actually murders. Wanders off here and there but kept me watching.



Monday, June 26, 2023

Bheeshma Parvam - Movie

 2022. Malayalam. Mammootty. Two feuding families, powerful and mafia like, end up with internal and external conflict - mish mash of Godfather and Mahabharatha - but very well done. I could catch myself thirsting for revenge towards the end and realised that there's something in these emotions! Action film so if you like the genre go for it!



 

Friday, June 23, 2023

Wonderful News from Sahithi Ajjarapu

Sahithi was my student at the Department of Dance, University of Hyderabad where I taught the Arts Management course. Sahithi was always a keen learned and was interested in many of the concepts we discussed on how to manage their careers as artistes. In fact she would tell me that after the class she would discuss the concepts with her husband which meant that she looked for practical applications of the concepts. Sahithi is also among the students who reach out to me every now and then to say hello and share when a particular concept worked. or example she would talk of the way the '2 minute rule' from James Clear's book 'Atomic Habits' helped her in her practice routines.

Now, one session I began in the course was about financial management - just the basics. Practical ways to slowly increase their financial condition - save 10%, invest 20% in long term assets etc. Sahithi shared a message yesterday about how her financial journey in the past few years.

Sahithi Ajjarapu

"I want to share one thing,


I resigned hcl job exactly one year ago, that time my dance income was 6000/-, and I was worried to be stubborn but I decided to be in this, because I came to know I can be only sustainable in dance field, so I was in this field completely and now exactly my income was 60000/- sometimes more than that, which is 3 times higher than my hcl job.😁😁😁

I started RD of 500 now I increased it for 3000/-

And for gold I paid 2000/- per month, then 3000/- and now I am paying 6000/- per month😊😊😊

I gifted iphone 14 pro max, and today I bought 1 gold ring cost of 70000/- to my husband😊😊😊😊

I felt really happy and confident sir πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ŠπŸ˜ƒπŸ˜Š

Just want to share this story with you, because not even a day of me will pass without your inspiration."

What a lovely message. So glad that Sahithi has been practicing and focusing on the right processes and getting good results. I asked her to share details of her classes etc so I could also share those for interested parties. Here they are.

 

The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch - Movie

 Another random pick but turned out well. Based on a novel 'The Awakening of..' is the story of a Jewish by who lives with a domineering mother who wants him to marry a nice Jewish girl. But he falls in love with Laura - who is a shiksa (non Jewish) and all hell breaks out. For Motti it also happens that he gets a visit to Israel where he meets a rather liberated Jewish girl who makes him lose his virginity. Thankfully there are no discourses on loyalty and infidelity and Motti pretty much comes back to Laura who says she needs time ...but in the end calls. In my mind they will all marry other people but hopefully explore their relationships better. Good watch though.



   

Ayisha - Movie

 It looked interesting - a young lady going to Saudi Arabia to work as a maid. The Saudi life was shown interestingly until we make the discovery that she is actually a well known actress and theatre artiste. People in Saudi recognise her and want to help her out. Ayisha builds a nice connection with Mama (the grand lady of the house) and the rest of the film is a nice slice of family drama. I enjoyed it.


 

Monday, June 19, 2023

The Best Father's Day Gift I could Get

 So Anjali sent me this message (and also put out a reel on Instagram with 'Honey Honey' by ABBA in the background) and this is simply the best Father's gift I can get ever. Thank you Anjali for making it so beautiful and for making being a father such a cherished experience!

 


[8:29 am, 18/06/2023] Anjali Paruvu: Dear Nana,

What big words and adjectives will properly describe how very much you mean to me and how you've helped me grow and thrive. You carry yourself with confidence, with humility, with love. You have a way of making people feel sage and understood, they just know they can trust you. You're kind and sensitive, yet put your thoughts across suavely. I don't tend to look at you through the eyes of a stranger, but you are an incredible human being.

For a father, I couldn't ask for anything else. Of course there are those big days, those big gifts, those occasions. But its the everyday things you do that make me so grateful. Picking me up whenever I need you, cranking the music up all the way in my car, the long tear jerking emails on my birthday, the constant proposal of roti Anda, the cut mango on the table, the clean room I come home to, the endless support for whatever new passion I've picked up, the concern in your face when someone treats me not so well, the random hug in the middle of the day, the stopping in front of your office door to try and see what I'm watching on TV so that we can talk, the question of ' Should I cut my hair",  the sit down talks when I feel awful, the lullaby when I cant sleep all night.

You are everything I could ask for and more

I love you so so so so much Nana

And I'm sorry I don't appreciate that enough

❤️😁

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Pleasant Surprise - Post on LinkedIn by Madara Thalduwa

 Nothing much happens on LinkedIn for me so I was pleasantly surprised to see this wonderful post by Madara Thalduwa about '50 Not Out'. Moments like this are when you think that the effort was fully worth it. Thanks Madara. I am so glad you found the book useful.



 'When in line, the batter has a clear line of sight which enable him to deal with the ball appropriately - defend, attack or leave alone. Batters who run away from the ball towards square leg are dead meat. Word gets around. Face hostile situations directly. When you get a clear picture of the situation, you can decide the course of action with more clarity - whether to engage or leave alone'.

Came across this quick read by Harimohan Paruvu at a random visit to the book store. Finding solace in this book, I understood that we tend to underestimate the importance of a relatable medium of communication when giving and seeking advice. Some of the concepts that I could not comprehend though my own efforts or when it was explained to me by someone else, were given a new meaning through the analogies that were made.

10/10 would recommend whether you are a player, fan or someone looking for a fun way to understand the game." - Madara Thalduwa on LinkedIn