Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (2017) is the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and the sequel to On Stranger Tides (2011). The film is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg from a script by Jeff Nathanson, with Jerry Bruckheimer serving again as producer. Johnny Depp, Kevin McNally and Geoffrey Rush reprise their roles as Jack Sparrow, Joshamee Gibbs and Hector Barbossa, respectively, while Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario join the cast as Armando Salazar, Henry Turner and Carina Smyth. The film also features the returns of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, following their absence from the previous film.

The movie starts off with Henry Turner, the son of Will and Elizabeth, trying to contact his father’s ship The Dutchman, which was cursed to be swallowed the sea. Not sure how many years have passed since At World’s End (which came out in 2007) but the boy wants to rescue his father. Henry is made aware that only the mythical trident of Poseiden can free the crew of the Flying Dutchman and that Captain Jack Sparrow is his only hope to get it. A few years later Henry is part of the Royal Navy but is put in the brig for mutiny when his ship sails for the supernatural Devil’s Triangle. The ship comes across a shipwreck, the Silent Mary, and are attacked by its ghostly crew led by Captain Salazar. Salazar and his crew kill everyone aboard except Henry. Salazar, seeing a wanted poster of Jack allows him to live so he can deliver a message to Jack that he is coming for him before leaving.

In Saint Martin, a young astronomer and horologist named Carina Smyth is sentenced to death for alleged witchcraft, but escapes custody. She briefly runs into Captain Jack Sparrow who, along with his crew, is attempting to steal the money from the bank’s vault. However the end up losing the money but dragging the whole bank with them. The crew leave Jack behind as they have lost faith in him. Depressed, Jack forsakes his magic compass to pay for a drink, subsequently freeing Salazar’s crew from their imprisonment within the Devil’s Triangle. Carina learns Henry is looking for the Trident’s location and offers to help him using a diary left by her unknown father. Carina and Jack are both captured and face execution, but are saved by Henry and Jack’s crew, setting sail on the Dying Gull.

We have Barbossa’s ship and crew are destroyed by Salazar but he ends up saving himself by telling him that he will apprehend Jack.  He tells Barbossa that long ago he worked for the Spanish Navy hunting down pirates. However, a young Jack tricked him into sailing into the Devil’s Triangle, cursing his crew. Salazar pursues the Dying Gull, forcing Jack, Henry, and Carina to flee to an island while fighting off Salazar’s cursed sharks, discovering that Salazar’s crew cannot go on land. After saving Jack from a forced-marriage, Barbossa allies himself with Jack and provides him his compass, obtained from the sea witch Shansa. He uses the Sword of Triton to restore the miniaturized Black Pearl, trapped in a bottle by Blackbeard, to its original size but betrays Jack and takes the Pearl for himself once more.

During the voyage, Jack and Barbossa realize Carina is the latter’s long-lost daughter who he had left her at an orphanage with his diary so she could live a better life.  Jack, Barbossa, and Carina use the island’s magic to open a path to the Trident’s spot on the ocean floor, parting the ocean. Salazar captures Henry and possesses his body, chasing Jack and the others across the ocean floor and seizes the Trident, freeing Henry. Henry shatters the Trident, breaking all curses upon the sea and restoring Salazar’s crew to life.

However, the divided sea begins to collapse in on itself. The Pearl drops its anchor to lift them to safety, but Salazar, not satisfied with being human, follows Jack, still hell-bent on killing him. Carina realizes that Barbossa is her father when she spots a tattoo on his arm identical to the diary’s cover. Barbossa sacrifices himself to kill Salazar, allowing the others to escape alive. Some time later, Henry and Carina reach Port Royal, where Will appears, free from the Dutchman. His wife, Elizabeth, appears moments later and the Turner family reunite. Jack watches from the Pearl sailing away into the horizon. In a post-credits scene, Will and Elizabeth sleep in their bedroom but the silhouette of an apparently resurrected Davy Jones appears. Will wakes up, assuming it was a nightmare, but a small puddle filled with barnacles under the bed implies that Jones has indeed returned.

I kinda found the film quite boring and muddled in it’s storyline. It was a good decision to not watch it in the theatre. While I enjoyed the first two films really well, it’s been going downhill since then. But the film grossed $172.6 million in the United States and Canada and $621.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $794.2 million, against a production budget of $230 million. So you can be sure atleast one more film will come out of this and probably then, or maybe in a few years time, they will reboot it again. Johnny Depp though is a treat to watch. 6.5 outta 10!

RIP Tom Alter

Veteran Indian film, television and theatre actor and Padma Shri Tom Alter has died aged 67. The renowned actor and one-time sports writer and author had been battling stage four skin cancer. Alter acted in over 300 movies apart from numerous TV shows, most famously as the gangster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera Junoon which ran for a record five years during the 1990s. In addition to acting, Alter also ventured into direction and was a sports journalist in the 80s and 90s.  Alter has written three books, one non-fiction and two fiction, and in 2008 was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Indian government in recognition for his services to the field of arts and cinema.

Born in the hill station of Mussoorie in 1950, Alter was a third-generation American in India who studied at Woodstock School in the Himalayas and then briefly at Yale University in the USA, before returning to India in the early 70s. In 1972, he was one of three men – the others being Benjamin Gilani and Phunsok Ladakhi – chosen from over 800 applicants across north India to be enrolled in at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, where two years later he graduated with a gold medal diploma in acting. Among his notable roles during the first decade of his acting career were Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977), Shyam Benega’s Junoon (1979), Manoj Kumar’s magnum opus Kranti (1981) and Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985).

Other notable directors he worked with during the 70s and 80s were V Shantaram, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, Chetan Anand – who gave him his first break in the Dev Anand-starrer Saheb Bahadur – and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who gave him the pivotal role of the gangster Musa in the critically acclaimed hit Parinda. n the 90s, Alter was seen in many films, prominent among them Mahesh Bhatt’s Aashiqui, Junoon and Gumrah, Ketan Mehta’s Sardar and Priyadarshan’s Kala Pani. During this time, he also acted in regional cinema – Bengali, Assamese, Telegu, Tamil and Kumaoni films. Among his foreign films are Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi and One Night with the King, in which he acted opposite his idol, the legendary Peter O’Toole.

On TV, Alter’s leading work came in Junoon, Zabaan Sambhalke, Jugalbandi, Bharat EK Khoj, Ghutan, Shaktimaan, Captain Vyom, Mere Ghar Aana Zindagi and Yahaan Ke Hum Sikandar. Most recently, he was seen in a pivotal role in the ongoing serial Rishton Ka Chakravyuh on Star Plus. At the time of his death, Alter had approximately 16 unreleased films lined up as well as a web series by Eros Now titled Smoke. He is survived by his wife Carol, son Jamie, and daughter Afshaan.

Bate Borisov 2 Arsenal 4

Theo Walcott scored twice as a much-changed Arsenal beat Bate Borisov in the Europa League to make it two wins from two in Group H. Jack Wilshere was excellent and set up a Walcott chance which hit the post before assisting the forward’s close-range opener. Bate keeper Denis Scherbitski then inexplicably passed the ball straight to Walcott to slot home a second. Rob Holding scored his first Arsenal goal, turning home Per Mertesacker’s flick-on from Walcott’s corner to seemingly put the game past Bate after 25 minutes.

But Mirko Ivanic pulled one back for the Belarusians after one of their few real attacks in the first half with an excellent 10-yard header from Aleksey Rios’ cross. Arsenal restored their three-goal advantage after the break as Olivier Giroud scored his 100th Arsenal goal from the spot after a soft penalty award against Vitali Gayduchik, who did not appear to make much contact with Shkodran Mustafi. Bate did pull another back when Mikhail Gordeychuk slammed home from close range after David Ospina parried Ivanic’s header. And Arsenal – who had looked comfortable up to that point – were hanging on at times in the end. Aleksandr Volodko could have set up an anxious finale but he fired a shot wide from inside the box.

The Gunners are top of Group H on six points with Red Star Belgrade second on four points after they beat Cologne, who have lost both matches, 1-0 thanks to Richmond Boakye’s goal. Youngsters Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson at wing-back, and Joseph Willock in central midfield, all had solid performances – albeit against weak opposition. Nelson, 17 – who has already made four appearances this season – was particularly impressive. Teenagers Marcus McGuane and Edward Nketiah came on for their debuts in the final 10 minutes. Walcott – who has not started a Premier League game this season – could have scored three or four goals. His first major opportunity came when Wilshere slipped him through and he hit the post from 10 yards out.

Bought The Lenovo A6600 Plus

I just bought the Lenovo A6600 Plus for my mother. I bought it off Amazon India for Rs.5590. It’s a lower end phone but it does look good and has a lot of good features. She is only going to use it for calls and Whatsapp. Having moved myself to the Moto & Lenovo platforms I am pleased with this choice. I should have the device by Tuesday, perhaps even Monday on Prime’s 2-4 day delivery. She isn’t using a phone at the moment as her old phone, a Panasonic which I bought last year died.

Specifications : Announced 2016, September
Dimensions 141 x 71 x 8.8 mm (5.55 x 2.80 x 0.35 in)
Weight 142 g (5.01 oz)
SIM Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.0 inches (~68.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 720 x 1280 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes, up to 5 fingers
PLATFORM OS Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
Chipset Mediatek MT6735P
CPU Quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Mali-T720MP2
MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 32 GB (dedicated slot)
Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
CAMERA Primary 8 MP, autofocus, LED flash
Video Yes
Secondary 2 MP
Radio FM radio
Micro USB 2.0
BATTERY Removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery
Stand-by Up to 400 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 6 h (3G)
MISC Colors Black, White
Price About 130 EUR

RIP Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner, who created Playboy magazine and spun it into a media and entertainment-industry giant — all the while, as its very public avatar, squiring attractive young women (and sometimes marrying them) well into his 80s — died on Wednesday at his home, the Playboy Mansion near Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 91. His death was announced by Playboy Enterprises. Hefner was a stunning success from his emergence in the early 1950s. His timing was perfect.

The first issue of Playboy was published in 1953, when Mr. Hefner was 27 years old, a new father married to, by his account, the first woman he had slept with. The first issue of Playboy was financed with $600 of his own money and several thousand more in borrowed funds, including $1,000 from his mother. But his biggest asset was a nude calendar photograph of Marilyn Monroe. He had bought the rights for $500. He had only recently moved out of his parents’ house and left his job at Children’s Activities magazine. Mr. Hefner was reviled, first by guardians of the 1950s social order — J. Edgar Hoover among them — and later by feminists. But Playboy’s circulation reached one million by 1960 and peaked at about seven million in the 1970s.

Long after other publishers made the nude “Playmate” centerfold look more sugary than daring, Playboy remained the most successful men’s magazine in the world. Hefner’s company branched into movie, cable and digital production, sold its own line of clothing and jewelry, and opened clubs, resorts and casinos. The brand faded over the years, and by 2015 the magazine’s circulation had dropped to about 800,000 — although among men’s magazines it was outsold by only one, Maxim, which was founded in 1995. Hefner remained editor in chief even after agreeing to the magazine’s startling decision in 2015 to stop publishing nude photographs. Mr. Hefner handed over creative control of Playboy last year to his son Cooper Hefner. He admitted to being “‘involved’ with maybe eleven out of twelve months’ worth of Playmates” during some of these years.

Hefner had a minor stroke in 1985 at the age of 59. After re-evaluating his lifestyle, he made several changes. The wild, all-night parties were toned down significantly and in 1988, daughter Christie began to run the Playboy empire. The following year, he married Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad; they were 36 years apart in age. The couple had two sons: Marston Glenn (born 1990) and Cooper Bradford (born 1991). In January 2009, Hefner started dating Crystal Harris, joining the Shannon Twins after his previous “number one girlfriend”, Holly Madison, had ended their seven-year relationship. On December 24, 2010, he became engaged to Harris, to become his third wife. Harris broke off their engagement on June 14, 2011, five days before their planned wedding. The two later reconciled, and on December 31, 2012, Harris and Hefner married at the Playboy Mansion in a small private ceremony; he was 86 and she was 26.

Another 4 Day Weekend!

So, another 4 day long weekend awaits. Looong weekend. I wish all weekends were this long! Wishful thinking I know but somedays after a long stretch at the office (today for no good reason I was stretching for an additional 3 hours and 15 minutes. Sheesh, this is becoming terrible.

Anyways, I have got one more day of work and then it’s four days off. Friday is Mahanavami and Monday is Gandhijayanti/Gandhi’s birthday – therefore the extra two days off. Since I usually hate Mondays this is a good thing. I plan to go out on Friday and Sunday and rest and relax on Saturday and Monday. And go back to work fresh on Tuesday.

I am going to watch a bunch of films and tv show episodes. This is gonna be good. Eat some good food too. Maybe some vodka!

The Perfect Weekend Getaway?

Describe your perfect weekend getaway

I dunno what would be perfect. I can even think of a perfect weekend at home just by myself sitting and drinking a lot of vodka or beer, eating my favourite food like pizza or burgers or some Chinese food from one of my favourite restaurants. I could listen to music, watch some of my fav movies and go to sleep when I want too.

I could take an Uber and go to places nearby that I can sit and relax in for hours at a time. Go for a shopping spree or go to a mall and catch a movie. I could go visit friends and enjoy some long chats over coffee or something stronger.

I wouldn’t mind getting away for a while. A hill station sounds lovely, even if it’s just for a day or two. Relax with a coffee near a fire and read a book on an easy chair and watch the river water flow on by. Catch the sun setting on a nice beautiful evening as I drink a beer or some vodka and enjoy a quiet evening spent indoors. These are all good but the only way this would be perfect would be is if I had the company of a woman who loves as much as I love her.

Prompt from 31 DAYS OF WRITING PROMPTS FOR MARCH The Sits Girls

Star Trek : Discovery – The Vulcan Hello

Long awaited and long anticipated, Star Trek : Discovery debuted with a double episode. Like I mentioned earlier, I am following the show and plan to do a recap/review of each episode.

Episode synopisis:

Investigating a damaged satellite near a binary star system on the edge of Federation space, the crew members of the USS Shenzhou discover an object obscured from their sensors. First Officer Michael Burnham volunteers to investigate the object herself, and finds an ancient, carved vessel. She is attacked by a Klingon, and when trying to escape she accidentally kills him. A group of Klingons mourn the death of their soldier, dubbed the “Torchbearer”, before the outcast Voq volunteers to take his place. The Klingons, lead by T’Kuvma, reveal themselves in a cloakable ship. T’Kuvma preaches to his followers of the Federation’s attempts to usurp the individuality of the Klingons and their culture, and plans to fulfill an ancient prophecy by uniting the 24 great Klingon houses as was once done by Kahless. Voq activates a beacon that summons the Klingon leaders. Burnham, desperate to prevent a war, attempts to fire on the Klingons first, against the wishes of Captain Philippa Georgiou. Burnham is arrested for mutiny.

We start off the show with T’kuvma declaring to his people as a warning of the threat of the Federation who he views as outsiders who pretend to come in peace and yet spread their way of live everywhere. He wants the 24 great houses of the Klingons to set aside their differences and unite to battle the Federation. We then flip to Captain Philippa Georgioua and her first officer Commander Michael Burnham who are on a planet which has had a drought for 89 years. After they sort out the problem, they are beamed aboard to the USS Shenzhou – that is a wonderful scene that I have to watch again and again.

The rivalry (close to sibling bickering almost) between science officer Saru & Burnham is fun to watch. Burnham’s history shows us why she would be wary and even aggressive towards Klingons, as her parents were killed by them and she was found and raised by Sarek as his adoptive child (and a sister to Spock). She is the only human to have studied at the Vulcan Science Academy but over the course of 7 years she seems to gain most of her human passion. Despite her initial cool and logical reasoning, when it comes to the danger to the ship and the Federation by the Klingons, she gets passionate and even reverts to mutiny when her captain doesn’t seem to agree with her.

After she eagerly explores the hidden outpost and is attacked by Klingon torchbearer Rejac, she is able to kill him. Burnham is put to the test shortly after killing Rejac. Against the wishes of Shenzhou medics, she returns to the ship’s bridge after her fateful encounter with the Klingon, urging Georgiou to raise defenses — just as T’Kuvma’s ship uncloaks. Because of her history with the Klingons, Burnham’s warnings are ignored by both her captain and Admiral Brett Anderson (Terry Serpico) – this rattles her so much that she temporarily incapacitates Georgioua and pretends that her orders are to attack the Klingon ship before they can attack us. The captain recovers before Burnham can carry out her attack and points her phaser towards her first officer and as the latter tries to convince her commanding officer – more Klingon ships appear on the console and in front of the Shenzhou.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with our ship in a dangerous situation and Burnham’s fears and warnings come true, setting things up nicely for the second episode. Though I do think that visually the show reminds me of Kelvinverse Star Trek, it does look a whole lot more interesting and intriguing that anything JJ’s version can come up with. I am looking forward to more from this show. But the new look for the Klingons hasn’t yet convinced me (but having whole conversations in Klingon language is awesome). I give this episode a 7.5 outta 10!

Arsenal 2 West Brom 0

Alexandre Lacazette scored twice to earn a shaky Arsenal victory over West Brom, their third Premier League win in a row at Emirates Stadium. The France striker – who has scored in each of those home wins – headed into an open net in the 20th minute after West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster tipped Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick onto the crossbar. West Brom, on the night midfielder Gareth Barry broke the Premier League appearance record, felt they should have been awarded a penalty before the opener when Shkodran Mustafi brought down Jay Rodriguez with a sliding challenge. Instead of staying on the ground following the contact, Rodriguez chose to continue but his shot was tipped onto the post by a diving Petr Cech.

After the break, Arsenal were themselves rightly awarded a spot-kick when Allan Nyom barged over Aaron Ramsey close to the byeline. Lacazette stepped up and calmly slotted into the bottom right corner – his fourth goal since his club record ÂŁ46.5m summer move from Lyon. The Baggies caused Arsenal problems in the first half in particular, with Nacho Monreal brilliantly clearing a Rodriguez header off the line in the 38th minute. Victory for the Gunners lifts them to seventh in the table, one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham and six behind leaders Manchester City while West Brom drop to 12th. West Brom boss Tony Pulis cut an exasperated figure on the touchline as his poor record at the Emirates continued. He has now lost all 10 of the matches he has managed at the ground.

Pulis was furious when a penalty was not given for Mustafi’s tackle on Rodriguez and also disagreed with the decision to a give a free-kick in the build-up to Lacazette’s first goal, when the contact from Jonny Evans on Mohamed Elneny looked minimal. Former Arsenal defender and BBC Radio 5 live pundit Martin Keown agreed, saying the Baggies should “definitely” have had a penalty and calling the Evans foul “doubtful”. However, Pulis was expressionless when Madley did point to the spot in the second half and, in truth, could have few complaints. It was a foolish shoulder charge from Nyom on Ramsey after the Arsenal midfielder had shown too much pace to surge around the Cameroon defender and into the box. Arsenal also had a penalty appeal turned down in the first half when Grzegorz Krychowiak pulled the shirt of Sanchez at a corner.

West Brom have scored just four goals this season but could easily have added to that in the first half with Rodriguez a constant threat. As well as the Englishman’s header that was cleared off the line and the shot which followed the penalty decision, he came within inches of converting a cross from the right when sliding full-stretch towards goal. But, despite the improved attacking display, the Baggies are now five games without a victory and have won only one of 12 away league matches in 2017. Wenger has won all 11 of his home games against teams managed by Pulis, 10 in the Premier League and one FA Cup game at Highbury in 2005. Lacazette became the first Arsenal player to score in his first three home league appearances for the club since Brian Marwood in September 1988. Arsenal have scored in all 23 of their Premier League meetings with West Brom, the best such 100% record in the division.

Safeguard Your Cubs

At what age should children be allowed to use social media, and how much parent involvement do they need?

I think parents should be vigilant and not even allow kids to use the internet without someone like an adult being there nearby until say kids reach the age of 16-17. I know kids will hate me for saying this but I find that kids can get themselves into all kinds of trouble and let’s face it, at those teenage years there is too much hormones and not enough brains! Kids can be stupid!

If not a parent then a stricter and wiser older sibling or cousin will do. Do not take it for granted that your kids will known better and will not be the kind of kid who falls into the traps that you see kids in the news or movies falling into. Your kid is not that special (maybe to you but only to you) and he or she could use that guiding hand. Keep a parental lock handy, keep a software that blocks website that you do not want junior to be snooping around on.

I have seen or heard about too many kids, mostly young girls, getting into trouble because they trusted the person at the end of the online conversation. Then they get blackmailed into doing things that they shouldn’t because they gave the guy(s) their home number, sent enticing pics or something. Predators are everywhere and we need to be ever vigilant to safeguards the young cubs in the pack. It’s a tall order but it’s worth it in the end.

Prompt from 29 DAYS OF WRITING PROMPTS at The Sits Girls

New (For Me) Chips Brand

Have you guys tried these? This is a new brand for me; Kettle Studio gourmet chips. I bought them off Amazon.in and selected the Cheddar & Red Onion as well as the Sharp Jalapenos & Cream Cheese. Lighter and crispier than most brands I have had. The chips did get a bit crumbled in the trip to me but it was alright. The Jalapenos and Cream Cheese ones are really additive.

Lunch & Golden Dragon With Anil

After a long time I was meeting up with Anil for lunch this afternoon. He came up from Thrissur and we settled down in Golden Dragon for some beers and food.

IMG_20170924_125147379

We had the honey glazed sesame pork and Dragon chicken among many others. Food was delicious as usual.

IMG_20170924_133518556

We finished our meal by sharing soup and then went to get some gelato at Milanos.

IMG_20170924_155033404_BURST001

It’s been way too long since we last met and hopefully the gap will not be this long next time.

21764837_10154631210397132_6813891485343398643_n

Two old geezers taking a selfie outside the restaurant building.

My Second Favourite Trip

When I was 15 years old I had to beg my parents to let me go on the class X two day trip. The reason they didn’t want me to go was that the trip was to Kodaikannal and it being a cold hill station and during the peak season when it was the coldest in that area, they were afraid that I would have an asthma problem. I was able to convince them that it would be alright and as that was my last year in the school, I really wanted to have these memories with my school buddies and my teachers.

So I finally was given the go ahead and the next day I went and registered for the trip and paid my charges for the trip. The best thing was that all my classmates were going on the trip and we had two of our favourite teachers with us. We left on a Friday evening and reached Kodaikannal by the next day morning. We had a blast taking in the scenery, buying the small knick-knacks and knock off cheap touristy souvenirs and stuff. We had some fun riding boats and riding horses and I took a lot of photos.

The evening before we were to leave we had a bunch of singing and mimicry and all fun stuff and though I did have a bit of an asthma problem, it went by quickly and didn’t cause me much comfort. It was one of the best weekends I can ever remember having.The down side – we came back on Sunday night, the next day was a holiday for us kids from our school to give us time to rest. My family was waiting for me and we went out for dinner with a few of my relatives. I ate some good Chinese food but the trip took it’s toll on me and late at night I woke up and puked my guts out. Whew! I remember being so tired after that.

Messy Bed

Do you make your bed when you get up in the morning or leave it since you will just mess it up again that night?

Make my bed? Moi? Perish the thought!

No, I never make my bed. I usually just leave the sheet I use to cover me in a crumpled mess from when I move it off my body as I wake up and get outta bed. We don’t use blankets over here so it usually just single layer sheets. At times, only when it’s been raining throughout the day and perhaps late in the night and it’s really cold, have I ever wished that I had a thick blanket like the ones we used when we were in Kuwait (and which we brought back with us to India but are no longer used).

I also tend to have a few books (thin magazines and a novel or two), my small tripod for the phone, a diary (work related), my phone’s earphones and perhaps the charger pushed towards one end of the bed. Yeah – that messy! And I keep two pillows. When I watch movies, which I always do on my laptop, I have my usb wireless mouse on my bed as well but I always remember to keep it back next to my laptop which sits on a small table next to the foot of my bed.

I never fold my sheet and put it neatly when I am at home but when I am at someone else’s house, I tend to do so and keep the bed a little bit neater.

Prompt from 30 DAYS OF SEPTEMBER WRITING PROMPTS at The Sits Girls

How I Watch Movies

Where, and How, Do You Watch Movies?

Well for the longest time I usually only watched movies at home. So as a kid and until the age of 15-16, I and my family usually rented movies from a Video Lending Library. VHS tapes of movies and you signed up for a membership, give them your name and number and address and you paid a certain amount for each movie for a week or 2 weeks at a time. I usually would rent 2-4 movies at a time.

That’s what we did until cable came around to my part of the district anyway. At first we got one channel that had movies all day long and then we had a whole blast of channels which played movies and specials on movies, interviews and behind the scenes stuff in between showing of movies. So every weekend I had a choice of what movie or movies I wanted to watch from a handful of channels.

Since 2007 I have mostly been watching movies off dvds. They started selling dvds at a much cheaper rate – might not be original but it was good enough – and I could buy a few movies at a time and watch them over the next few days or so. I usually watch them in my bedroom on my laptop. I currently also have streaming options as I am a subscriber of Amazon Prime (the Indian one and options will be limited) and I am even thinking of signing up for Netflix.

Prompt from The Learning Network at The New York Times