Thicken it.

Business.

Is something else.

I gather the word busines comes from being very busy!! A business sure makes one busy. I have, for better or worse, so very recently, entered the world of business. If only in a very small way...but still, business is business.;)

One of the first things I have picked up in just a few months, is that one needs to be thick-skinned to do business of any kind. If you dare to start your own thing, you have to grow those extra layers of skin. No other go.

Especially if you are the 'non-business' type (as I'm sure I was hitherto considered to be), people will look you up and down...and then some. They will gaze shrewdly at you and make some remark or the other. The remarks from such folk may often be encouraging, but not always ring true. Words of caution on the other hand, almost always ring true, but seldom come ...unless from someone very close.

So, mostly, a 'green' businessman/woman must endure many a discouraging word or lack of support and take it in his or her stride.

Therefore, I have thickened my skin as much as I can(!) and am trying to steer well away from 'over-sensitive' as I usually might be accused of being. Not that it all doesn't bother me, but I am TRYING to shrug it off and concentrate on the many, many tasks at hand.

I'm making a serious attempt to focus on being practical.

After all, if I fail, I would be neither the first, nor the last. And if I succeed...well then too, I will be one of the many. So, this brings me back to a memorable lesson I had in school about tennis star Chris Evert who, I understand, was being interviewed for her 'grace-under-pressure' or some such thing. She was heard quoting Rudyard Kipling:"If you can meet both Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters the same..."

I made it a point to understand the depth of these words even then, and I do so admire the meaning even more now.

Yes, business is...something else.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, tell me why?

At the gym I go to and perhaps in many a gym, there are many people who peer endlessly into the mirror.

Did I say peer? I meant pose.

Did I say pose? I meant obsess.

It's a treat for me to watch them flex their ugly, hairy arms, or worse, lift arms overhead whilst on the cross-trainer, or turn head left and right to get both cheeks in view whilst on treadmill, and so on.

I have become expert at recognising mere body-builders and distinguishing them from anguished folks who critically examine themselves all the time in order to check out every last bit of adipose tissue!

I have also become expert at figuring out who is a film actor and so on. The film actors who work out invariably do weird things like:

• sighing deeply and loudly
• making inappropriate noises while lifting weights
• sitting around on other equipment for no reason
• gazing endlessly at own reflection in front of the mirror
• watching various TV channels that show drama of some sort with a crazed, lolling expression
• assuming 'publicly inappropriate' postures whilst working out

And all this useless expertise gained whilst burning calories...HMMMM.

The gym IS a fun place to exercise, I say.

Drinking and Driving

Grey area? Depends on what and how much you drink?

Taboo topic? Makes you uncomfortable?

Consuming alcohol and then driving. People do it all the time. Yet the lorry and cab drivers -- poor souls (moneywise) are the ones who get into trouble the maximum. The others do get into trouble IF they are caught. Else, they think it's OK.

It is shocking if you stop and think about it.

Am completely non-judgemental about the drinking and being merry of course, but driving after? That's often not up for comment. I know people personally, who do drink and drive. They think they can handle it.

Can they? Is it really worth it? That's all I ask.

If they stopped for a minute to consider what will happen if they were to hit someone or something (even an animal) and worse, injure, maim or kill the soul when you have had 1,2,3 drinks and taken the car out...?? Ok, so MAYBE you won't get caught and the poor sould can be written off with a hit-and-run stamp. But are YOU OK to live with yourself after that? Really?

If they say yes, they are real sickos.

If not, maybe they could think about it and plan for the next time they drink -- hire a car or have a teetotaller drive. Bars and pubs do give some importance to designated drivers but no matter, it makes no sense if people roam around saying 'It's OK, I can handle it'.

The truth is, you cannot estimate how potent your drink is, because there are too many variable factors that control your body's and mind's functioning. Often, these, which you really cannot recognise properly, will decide how big an impact the alcohol will have on you for the day. So, it's safe to say that it is a big risk.

Worse, arguments about it being only beer, or only wine, or only one or two drinks, etc. It's rubbish. Alcohol lowers inhibitions. This means it can cause you to not be in control or be controlled. However you understand it.

I do realise there are people who drink and drive because they think they can and are terribly confident about themselves. But it just takes one slip to change your life...and sadly it may change others' lives for the worse.

Absolutely 'decent' people do it. So-called literate, educated, classy, rich, famous, successful, young, old, middle-aged confidence supremos, etc. do it.

What will it take to change this is what I am wondering...

Aayirathil Oruvan -- PAYBACK TIME!

This movie was said to be a fantasy adventure among other things like touching upon the ancient, Chola dynasty.

I went to see it because of a) Karthi (an actor who proved himself in his very first film -- the very rustic Paruthiveeran), b) Because of the hype that it is a never-before Tamil film sort of bullshit and c)The plot seemed to revolve around a guy and 2 girls without the obvious idiotic, mushy, love triangle. I would have thought that when a film of Karthi's came out, I would rush to see it but for some extremely smart reason, I was dragging my feet until a friend actually booked the tickets.

This movie does not really deserve a post because:

• The story was not well-relayed if indeed there was one.
• The makers were trying to achieve something beyond normal expectations but took themselves over-seriously and SERIOUSLY sodhappifyd (messed up) things.
• The gore in this film is of such enormity that after a while, it becomes 'normal'.
• There are too many sickening scenes but as in the above point, one becomes numb after a few such. I shall refrain from describing them since they are WAY below my blog's standards. Deepest basement so far ever seen.
• The dubbing is SHOCKING! String desire to smack Reema Sen's mouth. Learn Tamil, idiot!
• The completely unacceptable way of treating women in today's day and age that is met with not enough attitude from the women (otherwise despicted here as overly-sassy)
• The film clearly had a budget and making time it simply did not deserve!
• The movie revealed that the maker is dark -- he has a VERY dark side to him that needs help.
• I not only want my one hundred and twenty rupees back, I want to claim damages for my time. If big theatres show films, there ought to be a standard. This is BAD.
• Many firsts in Tamil Cinema it seems, but most of the firsts should be corrected to 'Firsts and Lasts!'
• Too much boldness and aroused outrage in me. I like my Thamizh Tamil films. Miss them now after this...*sniff*

Then why am I writing about it? Well, where else can I rant?

Besides, lots was dung. Giving logic a miss like nobody's business. I detested that silly cursing and swearing the two women indulged in. Nope, not how I like my Tamil films...er, would not even tolerate it in English films!

The music was quite good. Different and interesting.

Karthi -- My only solace (since am forced to search for one) was his acting never mind the sicko-ness depicted. Why he chose this movie is beyond me. To be honest, there were some parts that came out well, but, in between the beheading, raping, shooting and killing, these were just scenes you watched dumbly with a slight stir of interest for this guy's sake. HMPH.

Andrea -- delivered I suppose. What I don't know.

Reema Sen -- Her acting has improved tremendously no doubt. But her poor lip movements irked big time. SERIOUS ERROR casting her in the role then.

Parthibhan -- yeah, yeah, ok, the guy can act. Could have chosen a better film is all I have to say.

The director Selvaraghavan...needs help. If you have the misfortune of watching this film, you will get it.

The chilling words 'Thodarum' (Will be continued) at the end are still creeping me out.