Kunfu Panda – A Review

Don’t get me wrong, but the first time I heard about Kung fu Panda, all I thought was – it’s just another animated movie. I didn’t understand why my cousin obsessed about this movie. She had set her ringtone and wallpaper with Kung fu Panda’s stuff! I thought it to be childish. But now, after me watching it, I want to set my wallpaper as this Panda too. I understand now. The obsession, the love, the whole hooplah around the movie. I get it. Totally.

Let me tell you, this is not just any animated movie. It’s an inspiration beyond thought. It shows a path where there isn’t any. The concept, along with the animation works, dialogs and voices, is just so … beyond any word describable.

I might be just carried away with the movie. But you have to watch this movie to actually feel what I feel right now.

The story in short: Po, a noodle maker’s son (more like adopted son), dreams of becoming a great Kung fu star. But his reality shows him making and serving noodles and if he does well one day he will earn the right to know the secret ingredient of the “secret ingredient” soup from his father. Then one day comes when through some sheer luck and yearning he gets chosen as the dragon warrior by the greatest Kung fu master of all times. But the fat panda that he is, nobody really believes that he could be the greatest warrior of all times. His teacher also has a hard time believing that and inwardly wishes that he disappears from the premises. Then comes the day when quick decisions have to be taken as an old student of the teacher, who has gone bad, has broken the strongest prison and come out to get hold of the dragon scroll that can only be given to the real dragon warrior. Thus begins the difficult journey of readying Po to fight the battle.

The tension, drama and finally triumph might sound like an old formula. But the moral of self-belief and everything brought together makes it one of the best movies of all times.

I’d suggest that everybody should have a DVD at home. It’s a must watch and a must keep.

Rating: 10/10

Monitor Mayhem… the real drama starts now

Recap …

Ol’ Computer was gonna die, and I needed something new
Asked around for the best, AOC was suggested by quite a few

Called distributor and went to it’s hive
Saw the specified 18.5
Turned out to be a wide screen
Looking smaller than a square 17

And the twist in tale comes when
Bro declares Samsung or nothing then
But Samsung has stopped making square screens
And now, I’m peeling off my sheens

Now between the Techno and Extreme
I have the option of 17″Benq and a Samsung 15
SO, the time came to take the decision
And brand loyalty won it’s mission!

The Drama continues now…

Consumer code says “Check every item you buy before taking it home”. So, the monitor was taken to the service centre to be opened and checked. It was opened and plugged for us to see. Everything seemed fine, but I don’t know why, there was something bothering me. I looked at the box closely. Read everything written in it. Strangely… the contrast ratio wasn’t mentioned. It is supposed to be mentioned you know! So, I asked around. They had NO idea. One guessed it could be around 700:1. I was dumb founded. Don’t you remember? … I was told… 7000:1? One of them suggested me to go back to the shop and ask for the brochure.

I went back. I asked for the brochure. And there it was … 500:1. On that shiny, glossy pamphlet. With an impressive picture of the 15″ monitor. It was as if, all hell broke lose! I was speechless with horror and madness. All I could say was … “Take this back… I don’t need any monitor!”
I’m a very short tempered person. Whenever such things happen all I can think of is either to break something or break down. I chose the cheaper option. Tears rolled down my cheeks while the others had a gala time making fun of me. Now, as I record this… I feel the embarrassment that I caused my Mom and me. I can never ever control the temper. It just controls me at these times!

But then again, as the money got back to my Mom’s hands and we left the Extreme, I told Mom… it’s very late, we should get back home and I will look for the perfect monitor tmrw. But Mom is … well… I call her the Superwoman… the never say die one… who just will go on and on until success is achieved. I wish I had that quality!

We headed back to Techno. My face were still pale with the previous break down and my eyes were red. The people there of course realized there was something wrong. Then again, it was almost closing time. Half the staff were on their way home. Half of them were trying to find what really happened to me! I declared… “My brother really tortured me today! Just for a Monitor!”

The retail manager didn’t want a sad face at the end of the day … he got the whole staff serving another round of coffee, tending to each and every wish and checking and rechecking the 17″ Benq. Finally the Benq reached the packing stage. While a junior sales guy put on the cover to the monitor, I realized he was packing the same that was on display. We asked for a new one. And the Retail manager contended this was the last piece he had on stock. He said in a way that it felt that after this the era of square monitors would end in the shop! He had some power for convincing! No wonder he is the Retail MANAGER!!

Another reason why he’s so successful is because he knows how to make the customer hold on and not change his/her mind even in the last minute. He offered me a free Shah Rukh Khan DVD. But he was on the wrong foot. I am not a SRK fan. But then again, I loved Chak De India. So, I asked for that DVD. They didn’t have it. Then I pointed to my Mom. She likes SRK. But then … why was my Mom shouting out to me? She was pointing to another direction.

What had happened?

And then I saw the junior sales person and another guy holding the monitor together and putting the plugs on again. That’s weird. The monitor was already checked! Why check again? Mom now screeched … the monitor fell… it might be broken………..!!!!!

Today was seriously a bad day. Nothing seemed right! What will I do now? Will I ever get a monitor? Where should I go? How should I handle this? Should I break down again? Or should I try the expensive version of the break activity?

While my thought process was on, the monitor switched on. The lettering was a little taller … but things were fine. The technician set the lettering right within 20 secs and the monitor was absolutely fine!

Ahh … I was relieved that the monitor was fine. But should we still buy it? The retail manager again… becoming the hero, raised to the occassion of the current crisis… “you can try the DVD first … we’ll see to it that your monitor works fine.” He offered to give his personal number!

As if we wouldn’t get his number anyways!!

Moving on … we saw the monitor getting packed again … carefully, keeping each detail in mind. The SRK DVD was chosen …. DON! And I proceeded to check it in a lenovo laptop.

Oh!! That laptop was something. I just wished I had enough money to buy one of those. But, I have to be happy with whatever I have. The blanket is too small for me right now… My legs are anyways out of it! (Reference: Hindi saying… Jitni chadar ho utna hi pair failana chahiye!)

Leaving the laptop aside and having checked the DVD we proceeded to come out of the shop …. finally.

Finally, I was carrying a monitor…. a new monitor home. Finally, after spending 6 hours of confusion, pain, anxiety, relief and many jolts of near heart attacks, I had in my hand a 17″ BenQ LCD monitor (Just realized the Q is in capital!).

But how long will it survive? Will it ever be as loved as my Samsung CRT was? My Sammy was 6 yrs with me… how long will Ben be?

Counting … now is Ben’s 15th hour here at home since I bought him from Techno …

Monitor Mayhem… Wide or Square?

How difficult can it be to buy a monitor?

All you need is specifications. How big should it be? What Brand do you prefer? What budget do you have? And which type of screen do you prefer?

I had everything planned. Well, almost everything. I wanted something similar to my last monitor. My beautiful, reliable Samsung 17″ CRT Syncmaster, that stayed with me in all my times of sadness, anxiety, happiness and excitement. But it was ready to die. It told me that I should change him for another one long back. But I still stuck to him. I wanted to see him through it all. But then again, nothing waits for nothing. I needed to move on. So, I had to give it away…

Anyways, moving on now …
My quest for a new monitor. Similar, yet stylish enough to be part of my home, reliable and wonderful and…. Oh it goes on.

About specifications? … 17″, non-CRT (it’s a LCD/TFT world now … girl… you seriously need to move on!!), Samsung would be preferred … my brother prefers it actually.

Anyways, I asked many people about what exactly to buy, the price range and the monitors going on in the market. Many told me … move over Samsung… here comes AOC. Ok … change of plan now. AOC will be preferred.

Gave the AOC office a call. Got the best price. Went to the office…. a man from there took us to sales place. The best price that he gave… was for a 18.5″ Wide screen TFT. And then the problems start.

18.5″ … although sounds bigger than a 17″… is actually smaller. Cause the size is calculated diagonally. So, an 18.5 wide screen will always be smaller than a 17″ square screen. I was crushed. I actually thought that this time I would be getting a larger screen!! Anyways, called my brother … and told him.

He blasted out. Nobody can see brand loyalty in the way my brother does. He was so pushy … he wanted me to get Samsung even if the price was highest among all. So, I had to tell the distributor of AOC that my brother wanted a Samsung! Just imagine … the look on his face! And the look on each persons face in that 4.5 ft square  shop.

Embarrassed, flustered and confused than ever, we (my Mom was kind to join me in this quest) set off to undo all the hard work I did since morning of looking up numbers of every IT shop in the city and comparing prices and looking for them in the best available distance!

So, we went to the shop where I never get my computer solutions… Techno. They never bother if I’m around or not, and just don’t care. Why did I go inside that shop I really don’t know. Maybe because it was the largest computer shop on the street and is always filled with people! And combined that it was just across the street added to the need to relax for a little while before we go to the shop where we usually buy our computer apparels from (my Mom is getting old … she doesn’t have the energy of the younger days you know!). Personally, I have always hated the shop … they never entertain me ever! I was just about to leave when somebody stopped us. He gave personal attention to us… which was surprising to me!  So, while we sat there, we looked around, asked around. And found…. a SHOCKING truth …. Samsung (and even LG) does not make square screens anymore!

After this revelation. I just need to get away from there. Life seemed so unattainable and frustrating. There was nothing fair for a meat slice like me. The meat slice who is sandwiched between a brand loyal brother and money saving parents! Anyways … I did not lose hope yet. I had hope that the shop where I get my computer problems answered will have my solutions. While I let my Mom sit in Techno… I went to that shop … Extreme Solutions (name changed) … and I was greeted by one of the oldest employees there. I’ve been there so many times, that it’s just like me visiting a cousin’s place. I felt my nerves de-numbing now.

I asked around then in the shop. And they echoed the last shop’s quotation “Samsung has stopped making square screens”. I asked for anything old. They showed me a 15″ square Samsung. Seemed fine. But it’s not the same as a 17″. I went back to Techno to tell my Mom the sad news. I also called my brother who just couldn’t believe it.

Anyways, as we were about to leave Techno, that man, who turned out to be the retail manager, stopped us again … this time offering to show the square monitors he has along with coffee too. My already tired mother eagerly accepted the offer. What I was more interested in was the specifications. They had only one model of a 17″ square in display. A Benq one. It looked fine. Specifications were fine too. But it isn’t the same as a Samsung.

Now what?

What options do I have left? Either I have to sacrifice the size or the brand. What does my brother have to say?
He was stumped too. Then we took the decision. But still not yet.

Mom said, look at the 15″ one first… is it that small?

We went Extreme now. Mom saw it. She liked it. I asked the specifications… what attracted me the most was the contrast ratio quoted by “uncleji”… 7000:1. I believed him as I had seen the other models of Samsung had more Contrast ratio than the other Brands same type of models!

So, we bought the 15″ square Samsung Syncmaster. But  …. the story isn’t over yet. This story goes on to become tragic, dramatic, almost violent, accidental and then triumph with something extra… and at last a moral.
Doesn’t that sound like a movie?
It is …

Coming up after this post…