Cobblestoned Streets is about a certain type of primitiveness that has been morphed for urban consumption…

The first impressions I had about roads during the childhood years did not come from my parents complaining about the civic apathy when it came to how the city roads are paved or maintained. My impressions were borrowed from the opening sequence of a Sherlock Holmes TV series adapted for a 40-minute show on Sunday mornings. This was during the late 80s and I was still ascending towards middle school. This sequence had horse-pulled carts and policemen with big, shiny leather boots walking around on stone-paved roads. At this point, I did not know about what cobblestone is and how many European cities maintain their heritage of cobbled streets. This impression has stayed with me, the images still very vivid. The love for stoned roads did not go away even when I traveled to other cities in India that are doing a lot better than Delhi. Over the years, lots of TV watching helped me realized that the cobble-stoned street is somewhat of a legacy that our European cousins have consciously tried to sustain.

Getting Started with My Bathroom Tile Deco Work Project

I am the definition of a green-horn when it comes to anything related to being artsy or doing tile-work but this time around, I found the courage and the gumption to start something that could be potentially disastrous if not done properly. So, I am taking a few minutes to describe what is this DIY project going to be about and will keep dropping-in regular updates:

The Plot

WE are in a bit of disarray and indecision when it comes to refurbishing the bathroom. Our new home is somewhat prone to moisture seepage. There has been repeated rounds of arguments in the building as to how this issue should be tackled. The expenses would be huge and invariably, all inhabitants of the apartment building would need to contribute a lot more than what they are paying as the monthly security and maintenance amount. This is the biggest issue too when it comes to setting-up the scaffolding and starting the critical, structural re-strengthening repairs. As a result, me and Moha have had to play the waiting game. Not bogged down by the current circumstances, I started a series of small touch-up, repair and refresh jobs across the home.

Miracles from Heaven - not a great movie, perhaps a FAITH booster!

This is about Faith, the struggle, how to reconnect, and wait-out the worst

If Google the title, you will find a description along the lines of "Miracles from Heaven is a 2016 American Christian comedy drama..." but this might be the worst way to indicate the plot or the story that will unfold. I had my reasons to watch the movie. I am a big Jennifer Garner fan. I believe she has been the most perfect performer to have appeared across Hollywood productions but with very little credit. As a movie summary, Miracles from Heaven speaks about a girl with some impossible to treat type of digestive or intestinal order. Given my history of IBS and my recurring collisions with Faith, it made a lot of sense to watch Miracles from Heaven via Amazon Prime account. The movie is not spectacular in any way. It does not get preachy and neither is the plot too over-dramatic. Garner puts-in a splendid performance but there are moments when she oversteps into unwanted hysterics.

DIY Silicone Lessons via DIY Struggles in Handling Industrial Strength Compounds

I have been paying my dues in the niche of silicone adhesives - you might have read my first discussion about using these rather high-on-DIY spirit compounds that make life a lot easier for guys like me who just getting around how to do small mend jobs around the house. Our living space is rather big for just two folks. The society here has been lethargic in the upkeep. As a result, many irritating things like small cavities and damp spots continue to bother us. This time, I have been proactive in using materials that I can easily buy from Amazon to turn into some sort of a handyman, closer to what constitutes the definition of a family man for me. With some weeks of constant jobs and testing, I have concluded some handy information for you, i.e. if you want to understand how useful silicone can be provided you are using the right type and yes, there are types here to handle:

What must globally envied Italian locations look like to a Punjabi in Delhi?

Be Bear-Y Patient to Read this...that strange Men-Bear Connection!

Don't Weird it Up by Drawing Comparisons with Me!

Please understand that this is not about the Papa Bear paradox that my teammates once invented - the image and the discussion is not about me in any way. It is about an image along with some childhood moments that flashed in my mind, and I had to blog about it - needless to say, am a chronic thinker and writer of sorts. I remember this picture of a big family of animals and birds seated together, getting ready for supper. However, the most welcoming, warm vibes that I could feel were coming from a big, pokey bear. Why is that?

Reviewing Guess Who – Inspired by Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, without getting Desperate!

There was something very likeable, very identifiable with the original – Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner has been repeatedly referred to as a classic. My wife really loved it while I just like the movie. In parts, the movie is brilliant. The cast seems like the ideal fit for the story that is really just about a very friction-heavy evening with conversations and arguments explaining everything, leaving very little to doubt. What has been referred to as Sidney Poitier’ best can be remade but the remake has to be really good—Guess Who comes close to being a remake but it seems like a more contemporary, spicier version of the original, borrowing the basic plot and keeping the overall treatment very different. Thanks to Ashton Kutcher, the laughs are not contrived. His future father-in-law is Black and dominant in a very literal way but the performance is rather good.

Reviewing Gurgaon – Not Just another NCR Riches Story or Culture Bashing

Being new to Amazon Prime, we have been somewhat selective in choosing movies, as if the membership is going to hold us guilty for watching too many. We are slowly evolving into a couple that can watch TV for longer duration, happily seated together, almost stuck like a plug in the socket. For some reason, I want to watch more horror flicks and thrillers and the Wife wants more Rom-coms. I am discovering a new side to me where I can actually see and appreciate some seriously feminist-ridden stuff. However, this is not the case with Gurgaon—this is not a thriller or a romantic comedy in any way. This movie uses a sadistic plot to say something in the most subtle, almost passive way. It is a cinematic commentary on what transpires among the lives of those who have suddenly found riches around the suburbs of a cosmopolitan, people who knew how to grab, kill and conquer but seem clueless when it comes to fully utilizing what they have gathered.

Reviewing Jumping the Broom – Not Inspired by Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Two black families with very different cultural setups getting together because their children are about to tie the knot – it seems inspired by Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner in some way? Not really if you are watching Jumping the Broom. The movie is not dramatic and the emotional plays are reasonable. Not trying enforce itself as a romantic comedy, this movie is without the rhetoric.

Reviewing Don’t Breathe – Thriller that stands apart from any other, Violent Blind-Man Rendition

I have seen those stupid blind man plots where it seems that anyone who has lost the ability to see can get easy access to supernatural strength and wisdom that only a century-old samurai would otherwise possess. However, Don’t Breathe is not that type of movie. If you like your thrillers to be largely quiet without special effects but with lots of cringing-causing surprises, this is the movie for you.