Restaurant Review : Soups N Salads

Soups N Salads is a simple restaurant with an impressing menu of not only  Soups and Salads, but Pizzas, Wraps, Desserts, Slushes, Virgin Drinks and Teas too. This restaurant is so much more than just healthy food. Every item on the menu is made fresh everyday in the kitchen located in a corner of the restaurant. You can understand the perks of healthy and fresh eating once you try the food.

There are equal Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian items on the menu so nobody feels left out. The menu changes every Wednesday and is fun and diverse enough so you don’t feel like you are eating “boring” food. The prices aren't astronomical and are quite easy on the pocket. The items aren't over priced and are frankly more than worth their price.

I was personally impressed by the Desserts, Pizzas and Slushes. The Pizza menu boasts of thin crust California style pizza with a variety of toppings. The Dessert menu has an impressive selection of Panna Cotta, Tiramisu, Creme Brule, Apple Pie and Walnut Fudge Brownie with Muffins and Cookies thrown in for good measure. The Slushes i think are the best of all. They are an exotic mix of various ingredients and soda. While it might sound simple enough they are intriguingly named Lady in Pink, Blue Lagoon, etc and are quite yummy.

The ambiance is simple and comfortable, the staff are friendly and helpful. The tables are spaced out far enough that you don’t feel crowded. The food is delicious and Soups N Salads is definitely worth going back to.

Unwind : Book Review

“ In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But it isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is. “

Unwind is a dystopian novel written by Neal Shusterman. It is the first novel of a trilogy, the second of which – Unwholly – came out recently. After the second Civil War, the Heartland War has been fought between pro-choice and pro-life, a compromise was reached. A child from the age of conception to thirteen must remain untouched. But, there’s a solution. Unwanted children between the age thirteen and eighteen can be “retroactively aborted or unwound”. They get sent to harvest camps so 99.4% of their body parts can be reused for people in need.

Unwind is a book that grips you right from the beginning. The author does a good job of making the world believable and justifies the unwinding process. The unwound kids are not really dead, they just live in a divided state, so it isn’t really murder. Besides there is always someone somewhere who could use an organ or two. People who are wounded, people who are sick needn’t wait for other dying people to be generous and donate their organs. This justification doesn’t make it ok but it helps you be neutral while reading the book.

The book is everything it promises to be. It is astonishing, unsettling, creepy, weird and amazing. While not light and easy, it is still an easy read. Everything that you think can go wrong in a world like that, goes wrong. Everything is patiently explained and tied up in a neat bow by the end of the book. There are no blank spaces or gaps left. The book explores every angle possible with its three protagonists – a delinquent, a child of the state (orphan) and a religious “tithe” (born just to be unwound). While the switching storylines are annoying at first, it helps you get the bigger picture and you get used to it.

Unwind is thought provoking and compelling. While you may not form an emotional connection with the characters, you will with the book. Although the book touches some controversial topics, it doesn’t force them upon you and lets you form your own opinions. This book would make a good stand-alone despite being part of a trilogy and is definitely recommended.

A Serbian Film : Movie Review

There are films you must watch and there are films you mustn't  Believe me when i tell you my hands shake as i write this review, the horror is still fresh. A Serbian Film, originally titled Srpski Film is one such film that must never be watched. The film is notoriously infamous on the horror circuits but nothing prepares you for the damnation this film is. This is not a film you will enjoy nor will you appreciate the brilliant cinematography, acting and execution.

A Serbian Film is a film about a retired, aging porn star. He agrees to come out of retirement to provide for his family and act in an “art film”, only to discover he has been tricked into making a snuff film and is expected to do deeds that heinous is too mild a word to describe.

Now critics will trick you into watching this film, convince you the bigger picture is lost on people too distracted by all the nudity, gore and horror. They lie. Let me assure you there is no point to this film, no point except to shock you. There is no moral, nothing can be taken away from this film. A part of you will just shrivel and die, never to be seen again. This movie makes Hostel and Human Centipede look like child’s play. The film is so well executed right from the start, you will want to watch it till the end and only people with a strong stomach will make it through. When you’re done watching the film you will want to curl up and wonder why you ever watched it – all hope lost. Scenes and sounds from this movie will be stuck in your head forever.

It is a mystery how a person can come up with such a sick idea for a film and how anybody would agree to act in it, how the parents of the children in the movie let them act in it. This isn’t really a film, it’s a parasite disguised in form of a film and it will keep sucking on your soul till you can’t take it anymore. This movie shouldn't exist. It will make you nauseated and reduce to your tears in parts. If you’re brittle, consider yourself broken forever.

Oldboy : Movie Review

Oldboy is a 2003 Korean movie loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. The movie is a cult classic with great reviews from critics. It has also won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes in 2004.

Coming to the movie, the film is the story of Oh Dae-su, a drunkard who is late to his daughter’s birthday because he is being held at a police station. He gets bailed out,but is soon kidnapped. He then wakes up in a room and begs to be let out. The room is a personal prison with a bed and a TV; he has no contact with the outside world. He finds through the news that his wife was killed and the police suspect him. Years go by and the time he spent imprisoned gives a chance for him to reflect on his wrong doings. After 15 years he wakes up to find himself on the roof of a building, he has been let out, what happens next forms the rest of the story.

Few films really live up to the hype they generate and this one does. The film is better, gory and disturbing than you’d expect before watching and the infamous, live squid eating scene thrown in for good measure (reportedly 4 squid were eaten before they got the scene right)just adds up to it. This film is not for the faint hearted. Nothing about this movie is simple.

The movie makes you want to guess what happens next and fill in the gaps. Unfortunately Hollywood already has a remake planned and I suggest you’d watch this masterpiece in its all original format before the remake comes out in 2013.

The actors did a great job especially Choi Min-sik (Oh Dae-su). There is a scene where he fights a big group of men and beats them all. The scene doesn’t seem forced or ridiculous at all, you get why a man like him could hit so many people, you’d feel his anger. The background score is amazing and every tune manages to convey the emotion of the scene it is playing at. The film has an emotional violence that is unexpected and an uneasy feeling which stays long after you finish watching it.

Dialogue in the Dark : Review

Switch off your sight.

Switch on your insight.

See a better world.

I'm bored out of my wits as i walk through Inorbit Mall trying to find something to do. I see a poster for Dialogue in the Dark promising me a fun & entertaining experience. I remember that numerous articles have been written about this, but i've never really paid attention. I go in without knowing what it's really about.

The man at the front desk tells me there are three options to choose from - Exhibition, Taste of Darkness & Corporate Workshops. Since i'm no Corporate & i had just had my dinner,i go with the exhibition. I am then led to the storage counter where i'm asked to submit all my electronics & even my glasses. " But how do i see without my glasses? " i ask. " You don't need to see. " i'm told. Call me dumb, but despite the name it never really occured to me that i would have to go through this experience without seeing.

I am then led inside a dark room & i see there are three other people other than us (nitin & i). The man gives us canes & instructs us how to use them, he asks us to interact & follow the instructions of our guide & most importantly to inform him if we're uncomfortable in any way. We are introduced to our guide & i realize that this experience is all about using your senses and not your sight.

As the man walks away he asks me if i'm scared. I reply, " No " in a shaky voice. The man asks me if i'm sure & i tell him i'm fine. I am left in unnerving darkness with the guide & four other people. The guide guides us through the place-which is frankly a maze- by asking us to follow the sound of his voice, by using our canes & feeling the walls for support. After a while he realizes how lost i am, how i keep bumping into people & walls- despite his clear instructions & he sweetly takes my hands & guides me through parts i'm prone to fall down & probably hurt others.

We then identify vegetable & spices by smelling or touching them ; go through greenery, watch a movie & play cricket, go on an amazing boat ride & finally refreshments. The sense of smelling of ginger ; the feel of rocks under your feet & water flowing through your fingers ;  hearing beautiful voices without any visuals, the sound of a ball coming towards you (which will probably smack you right in the face if you don't hit it) ; the sound of water & a rocking boat beneath you, the feel of drizzle on your face ; the taste of pepsi/coffee/tea in complete darkness is undescribable.

As he gives me back perfect change for my snacks i wonder how the guide can see in this darkness, i wonder if he's wearing night-vision goggles. While i sit there wondering,sipping my Pepsi,we are told that this is the end of our experience. The guide also tells us that he's blind-been blind since 5 years,  while the other guides working there have been blind since birth. He says it took him 3 years to get used to the complete darkness- but he did & life is beautiful none-the-less.

While i sit there speechless, i realize i've just been shown a different world,a world i've never known- the world of a blind man. As i walk out i don't know if i should envy him- for he sees the world for it's true beauty & not for the guilded facade we see or feel sorry that though he can feel the warm sunlight on his face he would never see the beautiful sunsets, though he can feel the rain he would never see the beautiful dark clouds & the sun peeking through them later.

I later realize that despite him being disabled, he was more able than i am- he could see more than i could & i should envy him for his positivity, the beauty he saw in this ruined world & the fact that instead of wallowing in sorrow he thought life was beautiful.

Christmas Movie : The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas is a beautiful movie that is a visual delight & perfect for both Halloween & Christmas (i've always prefered to watch it during Christmas). It is a story of Halloween Town-a town filled with ghosts , ghouls , monsters & a boogeyman. The story is of Jack Skellington-the pumpkin king & of his love interest Sally-a rag doll made by a scientist who doesn't want her to experience the outside world. He is bored & weary of the sound of screams & the traditional scary Halloween. One day he chances onto Christmas Town-a shiny,  snowy world filled with colorful lights & happy faces & the smells of cakes & pies. He is so excited by the idea of spreading happiness & cheer,he comes back to Halloween Town with gifts & decides they need Christmas. But for that he needs to find out what Christmas means. But for that he needs to replace 'Sandy Claws' & sends out three mischevious kids-Lock , Shock & Barrel to kidnap him.

The movie is great with no boring parts. You can't help but fall in love with Jack & his pet Zero-a ghost with red Rudolf-like nose. It has a great story-line & songs. My personal favourite? The Oogie Boogie Song :)

Halloween Movie : Trick 'r Treat

' Halloween is the night dead rise to walk among us. The rituals of All Hallow’s Eve were devised to protect us. One small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that traditions are best not forgotten. '

Trick r’ Treat is a 2009 movie by Michael Dougherty based on his short film Season’s Greetings. Trick r’ Treat is an anthology of four Halloween Stories. The movie starts with a woman who is the Grinch equivalent of Halloween-she hates everything about the night. She blows out a Jack-o-Lantern which is a big Halloween no-no & is about to be taught a lesson.

Everything about this movie drags you in from the start-the comic book style credits , the atmosphere it sets and mainly Sam – an orange pajama ,burlap sack over his head wearing cute villain who punishes everybody who break the Halloween traditions. He is tiny, looks vulnerable yet creepy at the same time & you cannot help loving him.

Trick r’ Treat is the best movie made in a really long time. It is classic horror and wants you to have fun without disgusting you or ghosts jumping out at you every second. The movie has excellent acting ,excellent story line, excellent villain. It is THE perfect movie to watch on Halloween (31st Oct) at midnight & I highly recommend it.

I hope everybody gives this movie a chance & love it as much as I do.

Happy Halloween <3 :)