The Lost Pleasure

A frequent look at the watch, glancing left and right, ears open to the loud speakers, and with a slight nervousness, I stand on the platform waiting for the train. I remember the days when I was a kid, I used to be taken to the station by my parents to receive my relatives. I would be so excited. But when I would see the train fast approaching, my heart would beat faster. As the train enters the platform, I would slowly move closer to my parents and hold them tight. The loud horn and the wind as the train passes by me, I would shut my eyes in fear.

Ignoring the fact that, there had been days I was scared of this lengthy monster type structure which takes us quickly between places, train and train journeys have always been fun. There is always an anxiety to get into the train quickly even though there would be 20 minutes for the departure. There would be great anticipation to see if we are allocated window seat. There would be a huge confusion while loading the luggage and placing it under the allocated seats. There would not be a single journey where the family doesn't advice each other to have an eye on the luggage. There would always be a slight fear when the Ticket Examiner demands for the tickets, even though our tickets are confirm. Not to forget the hesitation, if the co-passengers request to switch seats for personal reasons. Finally some 20 minutes after departure, everyone gets settled in their seats with a sigh of relief.

Within few minutes, the stomach would start grumbling with hunger. Eyes would search for the pantry guys who would come one by one selling coffee, tea and other snacks in their own style. When travelling alone, there would be a slight reluctance to buy anything to eat. We wait for our co-passengers to start eating before we toss down our favourites. Lectures on hygiene and cleanliness are for the future.

There would be various kinds of passengers we might come across. A genius looking French bearded spectacled man who is always reading something intently, a family with little kids- where the kids jump around playing and the parents don't bother stopping them, a group of ladies with a mouthful of paan, trying to speak through so loud that the person sitting next to them would find standing by the door more comfortable, an oversized man by the window who would sleep through the entire journey, and a single woman who would be sitting nervously in between all of them, trying to maintain distance from everyone and pretend to be on the phone.

Journeys have become more quieter these days. People prefer being silent, reading magazines and mostly sleeping. We seldom look at the stranger sitting next to us.

In those days, with the exchange of books and magazines, the small talk would begin with the neighbours which would continue till either one is tired. Hands and legs would begin to stiffen and turns would be taken to stretch the legs, placing it on the seat opposite. Debates and discussion would begin, opinions would be shared, voices would be raised beyond the noise of the train, horrendous laughs, throwing off wrappers and cups unconsciously, and exchange of cards without realising that the destination has arrived.

Train journeys bring people from different walks of life together. But why have people started complaining that train journeys are boring?

With the dawn of technology, train journeys have become so monotonous. There is no exchange of pleasantries, we don't dare give a smile to our neighbours, we don't move from our seat because we don't have time to take our eyes off our smart phones and tablets. It's like the only time we can chat with our friends whom we meet every day, only time to beat the high score set by us on temple run, only time to read the already by hearted news feed on Facebook, and the only time to change the wallpapers every 10 minutes; and people complain train journeys have become boring.

The other significant reason is fear of strangers too. Passengers get robbed, spiked, even kidnapped during the journey. People cannot trust anyone. Hence passengers are more cautious and find being secluded from others far safer. They cannot be blamed. Preference to safety takes high priority and hence once a pleasure, train journeys have become long and tiring now. I don't see any sign of change in the future too. 

The World of Online Shopping

What do you want to buy? Clothes, Books, Watches, Electronics, Jewellery, Toys? You name it and you can find it in an e-commerce website. Online shopping has become the trend now. Gone are the days when we used to go up and down different shops and stores to purchase a single product. We took days to decide on a product to purchase it. But online shopping has changed that. Get into a site, search for the product from a huge number of options, place an order; your product is delivered in a few days. Forget up finding the right shop, struggling in crowds and worrying about parking.

Online shopping is not new. We have had the likes of teleshopping who have been in this line of placing order and getting the product delivered. But there was an amount of risk people felt in this type of shopping. But with the advent of Flipkart and the likes, online shopping is surging. People have gained trust.

Online shopping has made things very comfortable for the people. The sites are designed in such a way that finding a product is much easier than finding a product in a real store. The specifications are given elaborately and there are product reviews from buyers which helps in a big way(Though there are possibilities of it being rigged). Procedures for cancellation and returns in case of damaged or defective products are very clear, all the payment modes are made available and delivery is quick and smooth. All this makes the entire shopping experience pleasant. Above all, online shopping offers loads of discounts. Offers are put in, gifting stores are opened; when we enter the website for the first time, it's no less than a carnival.

With so many interesting options, smooth procedure and delivery, all done sitting in one place, online shopping has a long way to go ahead. People are spending lot of time surfing through e-commerce websites that it has become more of a hobby now. But what is the future of the physical stores? Will we see a decline in their business?

I can site an example here. Few weeks back, I went to a book store in a mall. It was a huge store containing nearly all the best sellers and new releases, stacked up very nicely, organised according to genres. After some time, I picked up a book. I really liked it and as always I checked the price. It was priced at MRP. I remembered the same book sold at a 40% to 50% discount in an e-commerce site. I quietly kept the book in its place and came back.

I agree. The same may not be the case for all the products. Products like clothes, furniture, even electronics, people still believe in going in person, having a look at it, get a feel of it and then purchase it. But I do see a time when that will change. With the amount of trust growing on online shopping, people may actually step into buying all products online. What will happen to the physical stores then?

A point to be noted definitely is that, online shopping is done only by people with access to internet and mainly by youngsters. Hence, a vast majority of people still prefer physical stores as of now. But specialty stores  for books, watches, music and movie CDs and DVDs sellers are certainly seeing a decline in the business.

Though majority of the reviews on online shopping is positive, there are lots of problems present here too. Not all e-commerce sites could be trusted, products received can be damaged, parts could be missing, colour may not match to the one you had selected, delivery might be delayed, customer support may not reply properly, could be some problem in transaction, etc. Luck of the customer plays an important role. If you are lucky, your product will be perfect. If not, it's going to be a huge headache.   Another question which pops in my mind is, are people spending way too much in online shopping just because it's simple?

With technology attracting people from all ages, e-commerce sites marketing their companies very innovatively on TV and newspapers, there will be a time soon when it won't be just youngsters who will be shopping online. The future growth graph for online shopping is definitely moving up. I don't see a decline in the graph for physical stores but not an up as well. Physical stores should work to keep their place and try and attract people in ways possible. E-commerce companies has found the perfect way to pull customers to them by giving unbelievable discounts. It's time for the physical stores to put their thinking caps on. 

Godzilla - Resounding and that's all it is

Rating: 2.5/5

I always had the premonition that Godzilla is another dinosaur movie and is probably like Jurassic Park because I haven't watched or read about the previous editions. I assumed Godzilla to be a dinosaur, because of its appearance and the bumpy mountain like design on its back, and of course its reverberating roar.

I have seen people putting Godzilla in the same league as Jurassic Park. I love Jurassic Park and wanted to see Godzilla badly. As soon as I heard Godzilla is coming up for another edition, I was excited. When the movie got released, I wanted to watch it as soon as possible and I made it for a show the next morning. The credits rolled in, I was surprised to see that the first Godzilla was made years before Jurassic Park was made.

Being very critical about how movies are taken, I had high expectations. I didn't want it to be a letdown. Excited and thrilled to watch a monster movie after a long time, I sat on my seat with 3D glasses on, waiting for the screen to be lit up by GODZILLA from the very first scene. I, along with the rest of the audience, had a long wait. Here is my take on the movie.

Story and Writing

The story begins in a mine in Philippines where a party of people gather around viewing some fossil like structure. They want to get it destroyed. The story then moves a few years later to Japan, where Joe and his wife, both scientists working in a nuclear reactor in Janjira, are worried about certain readings which convey danger; Joe's wife goes down to investigate. Severe earthquakes occur, resulting in the meltdown of the reactor and the death of Joe's wife in front of his eyes. Joe is unable to move on. He has a weird feeling that those earthquakes aren't the reason for the meltdown and there is something big being hidden. Joe decides to get to the bottom of it. Years later, Joe's son Ford, who has a troubled relation with his father, gets to know about his father's findings at the time he goes to meet his father in Japan, when Joe gets arrested for trespassing the quarantine zone. In the course to find more proof, Ford and Joe goes to their old house, and get arrested again for trespassing. They are subsequently taken to the same nuclear reactor in Janjira where works for the restoration are going on. The readings similar to the one generated during the meltdown is picked up. That's when the MUTO,  a dangerous creature surviving on radioactive energy, rises for the first time, the reason for the earthquakes and meltdown. The entire story then revolves around how Godzilla destroys the MUTOs.

Nearly forty minutes into the movie, there is no sign of Godzilla. The first half is filled with too many scientific and technical details. Though these parts are really important to set the base for the movie, most of it goes above my head. Probably I would understand it better if I watch the movie again, which I doubt.

The story circles around many locations and at different timelines. This badly affects the flow of the story. Lots of portions are unclear and is left for the viewers to assume. With no clue as to what everyone are scared of, and with the expectations to see Godzilla every next minute, the moment when the MUTO enters the scene, most of them would have taken it to be the Godzilla, even though the creature looks nowhere near to it. Most of the story and the points put forwarded after are intermittent and imprecise. Thank God for a scene, where everything is explained again as part of a discussion. It clears most of the confusion created previously. Though explanation is given as to what type of creatures Godzilla and MUTOs are, a clear distinction is missing. Probably people who have had watched the previous movies of Godzilla would have understood it much better.

After a long wait, Godzilla arrives and it arrives in style. It ascends slowly out of the ocean and gives a mighty roar, creating a vibration and definitely increasing the heartbeat. This moment makes it very clear that the movie is about to take off now, and it does.

Yet the story is never clear till the end. What is MUTO, how is it being protected, who knows about it, how long is it been protected, from where the other MUTO suddenly arrives, aren’t shown clearly. The writing is definitely better in the second half, though with many questions still unanswered. The pace of the story and the crisp dialogues helps the movie gain momentum in the second half which was clearly not up to the mark in the first half. But the highlight of the second half is, without doubt, the clashes between Godzilla and the MUTOs.

The best part of the movie, at least for me, is one single line delivered by the Japanese scientist. He says how nature creates something to balance something else i.e. if there are two dangerous MUTOs outside, the only thing that can destroy it is the Godzilla and they have to leave it to Godzilla to complete the task. This actually puts Godzilla as the hero of the movie and summarizes the plot.

Characters

Coming to the characters, no character actually stands out. In fact, no character is actually given time to establish himself/herself. The character of Ford seems to be the central character but I felt the character of Joe had more scope than Ford. Having Joe investigate and take charge would have made things more interesting. Ford, on the other hand, looks helpless and uninterested by any of the proceedings. Dr. Serizawa, the current head of the Janjira nuclear reactor appears powerless and always in dismay. None of the performances stands out too.

Cinematography and Visual Effects

3D has taken a wave and every 3D movie is welcomed by the people due to its visual effects. Godzilla is no different. The first scene with the helicopter flying over the ocean, and the visuals of the mine, the 3D effects are remarkable. Another scene where there is a shootout against Godzilla by the cops over a bridge is wonderful. Yet when compared to recent movies like The Hobbit and Gravity, Godzilla doesn't reach those standards. Most of the scenes involving Godzilla and the MUTOs, which are the central parts of the movie, are shown in pitch darkness and it becomes very difficult to enjoy the scene as trying to figure out which is Godzilla, which are the MUTOs takes all the focus and time. It is actually annoying. The scene where the MUTO rises for the first time, I had no clue where to look; it was way too dark. This definitely distracts the attention of the viewers.

Godzilla - The Saviour

The one who saves the world and clearly the movie is The Godzilla. The sheer presence of it on the screen leaves the audience in awe. The roar certainly brings a shiver and chill. The huge stature easily creates fear. When the Godzilla blows blue fire into the mouth of the MUTO and destroys it at the end, the sense of victory could be felt by everyone. At the end, when it stands up and moves towards the ocean, there is a sense of happiness for the viewers, seeing the Godzilla move back peacefully to its home with the hope that it doesn’t get disturbed again.

Final Verdict

There are many flaws when it comes to the story and writing. Visual effects aren’t top class either. But Godzilla can be watched for the experience. There are small moments which keep you glued to it, like the scene where the Tsunami hits or the scene when a small boy gets separated from his parents. There are big moments like the rise of Godzilla and its roar and power. Watch it if you are a monster movie fan, especially a Godzilla one.

First Day First Post

Finally into the world of Blogging!

Blogging has been a revelation of sorts for the past few years. I have always heard about it but when it was time for me to plunge into it, I couldn't stop myself from wikipediaing it. After extensive reading about what blogs are, and how useful it is for both the readers and writers, I decided to get going.

Everyone has an opinion and view about everything. It is not necessary for each one's thoughts to match with the others. This blog is going to concern my views on varied topics and my reviews on various books, movies and others.

Expressing views through writing is one of the most powerful and effective ways to filter one's thoughts. There are situations where we wouldn't be able to express our opinions, we wouldn't be able to step up and do something. For example, there could be a person not following the rules, there could be an accident taking place in front of our eyes, there could be an elderly person having a totally different opinion from ours, there could be something occurring in our workplace we are not happy with, there are many other situations like this we face every day. Do we stand up and fight for it or just be a passerby. Mostly a passerby. We don't have the courage to go and ask the person breaking the rules to follow it, we don't have the time to stop by and help the people in need when an accident occurs, we don't have the right to question the elder, and we don't have the power to bring about changes in our workplace. This causes frustration and helplessness. What can be done then? The permanent solution is to make our mind and fight against all these odds. The temporary solution as of now for me is writing. Putting our views and state into writing brings clarity to our mind and reduces the frustration. It also brings like minded people together. I will be doing just that.

Movies, Books and Television have become an integral part of our life. There are huge number of books to read from, we have new movies releasing every week and we have loads of television shows to watch on numerous television channels. I love doing all the three. I am very critical about what I read and watch and hence I am very interested to put my reviews on the above too.

I wouldn't be posting every day. But as and when I come across any topic, movie or book, I will be writing in.

Hopefully, we all will have a good time.