Runaway Train

Following the ‘Sky Fall’ other day, I watched the ‘Runaway Train’ in the weekend at home-theater. Almost I enjoyed both the films, sky fall sounded like the best James Bond film ever made or I seen - I am not a James bond fan and haven’t watched many on its series, but I feel sky fall lives close to perfectness and straightforward. Daniel Craig performance was really good and he proved to continue to fall in mind as James Bond. Runaway Train is another interesting movie directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the 1985 adventure thriller is based on story of two convicts escaped from a prison in Alaska, and boards a train that goes out of control.

Manny and Buck, who escape through a sewer pipe using Buck’s position as laundry collector in prison, took a freezing cross-country hike to board a train that runaway after its engineer suffered a heart attack. Only after a collision that badly damage the lead engine to accelerate to dangerous speed, the convicts aware the situation and along with Sara, a locomotive hostler on board, they attempt to stop the train by disconnecting the MU cables, apart the railroad heads decision to derail the train to avoid major accident. The warden of the prison chases the train via helicopter to catch the convicts before it collide.

The opening scene of the train sound marvelous and its progress at great velocity takes on an ever adventurous train ride across desolated snowy Alaska. Jon Voight as Manny, portray two different faces: Vicious, while asserting dominance over Buck (Eric Roberts) and hit him hard to scramble outside the engine and sensible, when decided to face dead by uncouple the lead engine, leaving Buck and Sara safely behind. Even Rebecca’s part was very little her expressions were expensive! The music really put on a vibrant stream when the train moves esp. the final notes on violin or some other instrument was awesome. Cinematography was another wonder indeed ruled the scenario!

Firefly

Image courtesy: gettyimages

A firefly
flies across night sky
burning its bum

Triggering a light
enough for
invisible particles

Following its flight
is a real life fantasy
and indeed fun.

Footnote:

I had a wonderful time watching the fireflies during my stay in Thandikudi - a village on the Palani or Kodai Hills, last month. We spent a whole evening and night without power but had fun time with cousins and cool weather for comfort, we saw the fireflies flashing around us. I couldn’t remember when I saw the fireflies early but this time was memorable, having them closer, I wonder how much wondrous we miss by using spotlights everywhere hiding the magic that happens in darkness.

We tried to catch them, but they are on their ways across valleys and ridges, and following them is impossible.  So we stayed away admiring the beauty blink in darkness. 

Powershot Sunday - St. Stephen’s Church, Ooty

“St. Stephen's Church in Ooty is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the then Governor of Madras, who keenly felt the need for a church in Ooty exclusively for the British, laid the foundation for the church on April 23, 1829, to coincide with the birthday of King George IV. St. Stephen's Church, consecrated by John Matthias Turner, Bishop of Calcutta, on November 5, 1830 was opened to the public communion on Easter Sunday of April 3, 1831. It came under the Church of South India in 1947.” - Source Wikipedia.

Footnote:

The picture was taken in 2011 during one of my visit to Nilgiris and I haven’t gone inside the church, but just shot it while waiting at Ooty collector’s office parking lot to get permission to drive through Avalanche forest. St Stephen’s Church is on the road to Mysore from Charring Cross.

Master checkup - an ever undergone trouble!

I took a master health checkup two days back in a clinic close to our house and suppose to find out that almost everything is normal except slightly increase in blood sugar and indication of BP (blood pressure) in ECG. Though the results are not unfavorable, I had tough time going through one of the test (abdominal ultrasonography) to which I was instructed to drink plenty of water until my tank get full. It wasn’t difficult actually to drink more water, but to control without passing urine until the test complete was quite a struggle and terrible task.

I drank about 1.5 liters of water an hour before we are suppose to be there and as soon we enter the clinic, the bladder began to urge for a release but there was no symptom of call for the test. We waited for half an hour; the receptionist doesn’t have an answer whereas only saying doctor will come soon… wait for five minutes. There were two more five minutes gone and the doctor hadn’t arrived. I was going through severe trouble in bladder or abdomen and don’t want to take the risk of mess up with pants. It was a moment I couldn’t think of anything, lying on the bed next to the scan instrument, the attendant asked to think about what I like more (to divert the  pissing thought)… I could only say the hell!

It was I who want to take the master checkup to confirm everything is fine on basic terms of health (dealing with MD is a different matter), it’s been a year and a half I took a similar one, which confess the diabetes and I know someone who is in sitting position always could invite side effects and with the aid of diabetes anything is possible. I am trying my best in controlling sugar (don’t believe him, he ate half a cup of palkova - a sweet made of milk and sugar - two days early to test) and was regular with medicine and physiotherapy seems to cause an effect only to sustain.  

The abdomen scan doesn’t last more than five minutes but I was going through immense pressure enduring urine and I was only back to normal with everlasting pissing. Sigh! Later I went taking chest X-ray and ECG and following a meeting with doctor and physical exam, I was advised on certain terms to follow and regular check with BP as he find it abnormal. I could only think it is because of intense pressure I went through the abdomen scan had resulted in blood pressure and a mild symptom in ECG. I know it was worth going through the trouble but I don’t know whom to blame - the doctor who came late or I drink water early - anyhow there wasn’t any problem gracefully. J

Picnic at setting of ‘I’

During our vacation come travel to Kodaikanal last month, we took a drive up to Kavunji - a terrace farming village on the far western end of Kodaikanal on the Palani Range of Western Ghats. First time going beyond Mannavanur, exploring the country sides of Kodaikanal; we picnicked on a patch of green adjacent to the Kavunji government school, facing a scenic foreground. As soon we land, a rock like structure caught our attention, alongside a gateway and fencing in raw woods fascinated to know what they are.

But I was sure it was not a real rock and thought it should have created by the students as a school project. And when one of us went neat to touch and see in curious, the watchman of the school (that shut for vacation) shout from a distance, warning, not to go near the structure as it may fall down. Being a kind old being, he came near clearing our doubt on the structure reveling that it was a setting of Tamil film ‘I’ from the renowned director of grandeur, Shanker. The rock made of wood and cardboard causes a natural setting of rock at about 25ft in cone shape.

Actually it doesn’t wonder me but the background it beholds was picturesque and stunning. The days for us in Kodaikanal were so cold like ever and expose to sunlight seems a pleasure, brought us under the open sky for lunch on a patch of green. There was enough light and shadow in turning off brilliant blue sky to passing clouds, carries some warmth and chillness around the landscapes. I saw this lonely raw wood bench left aside the settings of ‘I’ as photogenic, I recommended our families to take photos by sitting on the bench as I hope it deserve beautiful photography - covering a part of step farming and Sholas.

The elder man also lean us water for washing the plates and instructed to use the dustbin to put waste things. At this far end remote village, someone truly care for environment simply impressed me and I hope he is much wise what even city dwellers don’t follow right? We spent more than an hour relaxing and taking group photos standing in front of the setting and simple fascinating countryside background. Among the many, I just love the photo I composed on the wise man before leaving, stood strong in my mind and posing so cool.