Contrition - A Soothing Palliative Agent - Part 2

The qualities of a person largely depend on their individual choice - conscious or subconscious or unconscious (conscious is the best) - to be as:

a) purely good

b) good dominating their bad

c) bad dominating their good

d) purely bad

e) perfect harmony of good and bad in the right proportion for the right person at the right time 

f) unattached perfect harmony of good and bad in the right proportion for the right person at the right time

To achieve the last option living in a practical world without taking upon asceticism, it takes a herculean effort, energy, persistence, determination and single-minded resoluteness to remain in that eternal and blissful state effortlessly not only for a single moment or day but also lifelong is the epitome of perfection.

For all the other possibilities, cause-effect triumphs thereby kicking in the breakable yet unbreakable chain of Karma because of their respective actions according to their intentions and motives.

The motive may not play a significant or weighty role in the Court of Law but in the realms of spirituality and morality at the infinitesimal quantum levels, the consistency of the motive is one of the decisive indicators of the overall nature of any living being.

Usually, people genuinely or strategically or insincerely engage in self-reproach or self-castigation when they commit a mistake, error or blunder.

If it's strategic or insincere, it's confirmed they belong to either c) or d) with the exception that those in c) can also be genuine enough when they are treated with love, respect, and kindness but you need to monitor them in case they fall into the classic trap of recidivism.

I don't know whether you have what it takes to do the right thing but two striking incidents flash across my mind that happened in my life.

When I was in my 12th standard, my teachers, especially DivyaShree mam who taught CompSci, Parvathi mam - Physics, Jaggu Sir - Chem and Snehalatha mam - Maths, felt that I had it in me to get glory to my school by securing the State Rank.

As the results rolled out, my scorecard read 97 % which would have been easily the first rank in many schools (at school level & not state level).

I was very much disappointed and dejected with myself that I let down my teachers as they strongly believed in me that I would make them very proud.

I was self-mortified and embarrassed to meet them in person to thank them for their wonderful efforts once when the results were declared.

I falsely thought I was doing the right action by not meeting them as I miserably failed to meet their high expectations to acquire the coveted State Rank.

But, in retrospect, I felt it was not the right decision since it meant that I had given much attention to myself rather to my incredible teachers who had poured out their heart and soul for two years.

Most importantly, their constant encouragement and motivation to make not only me but also everyone to strive harder and harder without any partiality was the nucleus of their teaching methodology.

There have been many a day where I considered walking back to my school and drop in but days had turned into years and with their skills and talents, I was sure that they would have moved on to another school or college.

I had one golden opportunity to have an accidental run-in with Snehalatha mam. But, before we touched upon the particular topic, she had to go as she was running late.

Wherever they are, I always thank them from the bottom of my heart as I was very lucky and fortunate to get such extraordinary teachers in my life.

One other teacher who left a profound impression was Umamaheswari in Bhaktavatsalam Vidyashram. When I shifted my school to DAV, I knew that if I told her before I jumped school, she would have definitely convinced me to stay back. 

As a kid, I was very afraid that would happen and didn't even tell her a proper goodbye to one of the best teachers I have had in my entire life. Her natural way of simplifying things and her passion towards her profession - it left an indelible mark on me to love what you work rather than for just money.

Like my high school teachers, she was way too competent to be limited there. Though I had one chance to speak with her, she was extremely busy with her co-workers and I thought I would make her even more angry by interrupting her.

Whether they forgive me or not, it's up to them but it was never ever in my wildest imagination of thinking to disrespect or insult them through my behavior then.

Rebirth may exist or may not - But, I would definitely want them as my gurus in my next life as well for their superb way of teaching and making things easier to understand.

The truth has been stifling and suffocating me for a very long time but with Steve Smith's honest-to-goodness acceptance, it was the much-needed spark and I also felt that the time was aptly right to unburden the untampered truth as such.

The one major difference between Smithy and myself is that he said it in open whereas I don't have the luxury to track every single teacher and tell them but doing it in my blog though if I ever get a window of opportunity to see any of them in person, I would love to thank them for their magnanimity which they had shown and showered upon not only me but also every student to consistently raise our bar every time in whatever we do.

                                                              X---Concluded---X

Contrition - A Soothing Palliative Agent - Part 1

There is no better relaxation or tension-free in this world than a sound, not snoring!, night's sleep or be with your loved ones or have a hearty meal or deep massage or whatever you deem fit that can complete this list!

But, when an eroding and gnawing sense of restlessness results (Alliteration after (He he he..here too!) a long time!) in a swirling mess of chaotic turbulence in your head, you know that there is something wrong - either someone has wronged you or you have wronged someone or both or simply an unnecessary anxiety and worry.

If it's the last option, then it's time to come back to the reality by grinding the unwanted and unneeded to pulp through right reasoning and knowledge.

However, when the flutter in your bonce is due to any of the other three reasons, you should again grind it to pulp through right reasoning and knowledge.

Sounds repetitive and confusing that it makes your head spin like the rotation of our Earth?

Fret not.

I will simplify it to its simplest level.

You are a genius.

I am not understating or overstating it.

The only reason I want to put in an easy to understand terms is that my vocalization of the articulation of my comprehension is better - significant or slight - I leave it to your genius brains.

Everyone knows that uttering a lie - harmful or non-harmful - is not right. 

But, harmless lies like sweet nothings or no-evil-intentioned insincere flattery are much better than harmful lies as it doesn't hurt or wound anyone.

When you lie through your teeth to your boss or significant other or interview process and get caught in the web of deceit spun by you to the extent that it not only harms the other person but also yourself, then it's an irreversible reaction like the shattering of glass into smithereens.

Unless you have a time machine!

Before doing something - good or bad, if you don't have the courage to let know the other person what you are going to do without any regrettable guilt or fear of shame, then it necessarily means that you have to take a long and hard look into the mirror.

There are those who can be vainglorious or blow their own trumpets on their wrongdoings as well with no sense of guilt as if they have incredibly achieved something in life.

I'm not talking about those unscrupulous and unconscionable characters.

The persons in the topic are those who have a good heart with multiple shades of tenebrousness in them.

And yes.

There is an even more nuanced categorization in this classification as well.

Some could also be arrogant and conceited yet have a heart of gold.

At the end of the day, supposing your well-intended intentions are intended good exclusively for you and not to others but you can't speak it out to the concerned person(s), it's better to stop whatever you want to do as the negative consequences of such actions could be deleterious in the long-run.

Of course, like Draco Malfoy strutting the Hogwarts corridors at the beginning of HP series, you can tell yourself with an air of bravado that you could face any challenges or obstacles that life throws at you.

The real question is...Can You?

Most people either over-estimate or have an exaggerated sense of their self in their minds that they fail to come to grasp in terms of the actual reality about themselves.

Extending it further, there are those who know exactly who they are but still, they have an inflated version - to keep their ego happy or project a coruscating image to manage others' impressions of their yearning happy-ego.

Though both are incorrect, the latter is relatively better as these individuals clearly understand their capacities, limitations and resilience quotient but for want of adulation, they portray a flowery self unlike the former case where the person isn't even aware of an iota of their personality (or have pushed their original nature into the deepest subconscious) but fooling not only another person but also themselves in the process.

It's like when the voters are faced with 2 worst candidates, they choose the one who is best between the worst.

Now, let's throw in another parameter into this equation - An unknown or inexperienced good individual with this 2 candidates. Most often or not, the voters would still elect a known devil than an unknown angel.

Whether it's the former or the latter, you can self-talk with "n" number of justifications for your improper conduct by falsely wanting to think that you have done the right thing when you actually haven't in reality.

All you are doing is that you are deeply and intensely afraid to accept your self as such for the bad things you have committed to the other person by building an artificial fortress of righteousness to cushion yourself from the adverse effects of your unpleasant actions or the unfavorable thinking/perception which people will have upon you for doing such a revolting act in the first place or both.

Too long?

For what?

                                                                X---To Be Concluded---X

    

Avengers: Infinity War - Infinitely Jaw-Dropping - Part 3

Right from the first scene till the very end, the surprises kept on coming up with an incredible pace that it was like a batsman playing an automatic robot bowling at high speeds.

The BGM has lifted the entire trailer to the orbit of the nearest Exo Planet!

The strums and drums along with the visuals were as exhilarating as a Sky-Diving fall.

No. I haven't personally experienced sky-diving.

But, one day would certainly love to.

Then, if you might have a question how I said it was exhilarating?

Simple.

The power of imagination and the science behind skydiving.

Moving from falling freely (with parachute!) to our case in point of the BGMs,

Take for example.

00:27 to 0:31 - It was a kickass badass Intro that you could ever have heard.

Likewise, the perfect synchronization of clicks with an out-of-the-world setting in the foreground was as brilliant as a Cloud Iridescence.

In the end, not the trailer's!, the BGM was perfectly-balanced like a sinusoidal wave with the right crests and troughs at the right time by finishing on a mammoth top level.

The transition of the two different scenes from Iron Man to CapAm by completing it with Thanos's gold-plated gauntlet wrapped around his gigantic velvet fists was beyond description.

What was the effective denouement of AIW is that it simplified my decision-making process easier and quicker like Gamora snapping her fingers with a twack.

Yes.

Super Star Rajinikanth's Kaala is also slated to release on the same day as AIW and I was terrifyingly caught up in a perpetual tug of war between the movies when the former's teaser was out.

All my nebulous doubts were dispelled like a shining torch on a moonless and lightless night as there is nothing more to even think about it.

It's gotta be AIW - Hands down!

There may be some who could say that I'm not supporting home-grown but enslaving myself to foreign brands.

Before you even think about saying it, let me just ask you one thing.

Is the Internet you are using is founded by an Indian? No.

Is the language you are reading now is Indian? No.

Or, is the various parts assembling your device on which you are reading it is purely Indian? No.

I can still go on forever and destroy your fragile facade of false and unreasonable Nationalism.

Just consider the matter at hand.

Which is objectively best between Kaala & AIW?

The answer is simple as counting 123 on fingers - AIW.

You could probably state that Hollywood has astronomical budgets to expend on their movies and that's why AIW has come out really well than Kaala.

Is it the truth?

Partly Yes.

When you think it through, not all big budgets have done well. Eg) Batman Vs Superman

Likewise, even smaller outlay films have done phenomenally. Eg) Blair Witch Project

By saying this I am not undermining the importance of the ear-marked budget for a particular movie.

It's how well you utilize them to its full capacity by creating the maximum impact - includes Teasers, Trailers and the actual movie itself.

It doesn't really make sense when you spend a fortune on getting the teaser and trailer on the money, pun intended, but the real and finished product is way below the anticipated expectation that it has made the audience to believe that they would receive for their money and time they would spend once when the movie hits the screens.

Oh! By the way!

Yes.

I am a Rajini fan and have been effusive enough when Kaala's first teaser was announced.

You don't believe I am one. 

No issues. 

Kindly check out: Rajini - The Mega Brand

After reading it too, you can probably say that an individual who isn't a fan can also write it in that way.

There is no stopping the madness of spiral of doubts. You can feel relaxed, cocooned and wallowed in it. 

Until then, I will have a peek at the Mad Titan and his cronies unleashing their feral power in their quest to discover the Infinity Stones.

Since we are on the topic of Infinity Stones, it's better to brush up on these concentrated powers of the building blocks of the Universe, at least in MCU!, so that you are not like a fish out of the water while watching it.

I'm not an avid comic book reader and I have already done my homework on it.

Just YouTube it.

The only fault I could see, without seeing the movie, is the tedious visual cacophony as in X-Men.

On the trailer, the action sequences look fantastic.

But when the scene is stretched over for some time beyond its acceptable and permissible limits, there is every chance that the VFX becomes a jarring effect to the eyes and yawning effect to the mouth.

The Russo brothers had admirably handled CapAm 3.

With a split in the entire duration, I can actually see that many of us are going to be in deep awe, shock, drench our handkerchiefs and tissues over the death of our favo characters whom we have willingly and voluntarily accepted on this epic adventure along with Marvel.

What Marvel has smartly done is that they didn't create each movie as a singular destination but as a fun, funny, exciting and enjoyable long journey traversing and enmeshing through their myriad characters and lives for us to develop this intense and fierce emotional attachment and loyal bonding.

Well played, Marvel!

Bring it on - On April 27th.

                                                               X---Concluded---X

PS:

2 of my personal favorite scenes in the trailer were:

Star-Lord: "I'm going to make the plans". Tony: "Wow"

and,

Spiderman: "I think we use made up names now. I am Spiderman" 

Avengers: Infinity War - Infinitely Jaw-Dropping - Part 2

If you did not thunderingly laugh and experience a sense of tingling energy in your body at "We have a Hulk" dialogue in Avengers 1, then there is something fundamentally and terribly wrong with your sense of humor.

You should better consult a Humorologist.

Is that even a Doctor's bailiwick and line of study?

Seriously - Even I have no idea. 

Just said it as an extension of humor which I said in the earlier sentence. 

But, even if such a doc doesn't exist, there is yet another cracking way to regain your lost comic timing.

WATCH AVENGERS 1!

Avengers 1 was a novelty that revolutionized the total superhero/heroine genre. 

Besides packing in a multitude of egoistic and I-am-better-than-you imbued diverse super powers, the film showcased how it's possible to give ample screen time and screen space without diluting the importance of the characters on-screen.

Just because a person has more screen presence, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are playing a vital role in the plot twists or in the narration arc.

But, Marvel has exemplarily showed everyone that this extremely difficult, fine and delicate balance is not only gettable but can be got on a continuous basis.

Avengers 2. Cap Am 3. GotG. 

And now, the much awaited and vaunted - Avengers: Infinity Wars (AIW).

If the teaser was an indication how good the movie can be, the trailer was an authoritative proof how excellent it will be.

There will be many who can possibly say that the trailers are not a good source for a film's overall rating.

Why.

Even I have said it.

But, we must understand logically that AIW is the conscientious result of a well-detailed and well-organized painstaking hours of over 10 years - Read it again 10 Years! - involved in the phases as put forth by Marvel.

There is no way these guys, and girls, would blow away AIW with their idiocy, hubris and short-sightedness for anything.

Teased by the fag end of 2017, AIW was creating ripples not only in the MCU but also across the world with their mind-bending CGs and VFXs to the extent that it became the most viewed trailers in the first 24 hours.

Such was the craze that Marvel has meticulously set everyone up to their grandest product that they could offer to their loyal fanbase.

The tantalizer was just the cherry on the cake.

And, the cake was stunningly baked and uploaded yesterday.

It was an ambrosia.

                                                      X---To Be Concluded---X

Avengers: Infinity War - Infinitely Jaw-Dropping - Part 1

Riding high on the crest of the wave of Christopher Nolan's mind-boggling Dark Knight, DC broke the back of the Marvel's beast 'Iron Man' which got released earlier. 

Marvel was immediately put under immense pressure to craft their products to utmost perfection if they wanted to dominate the Super Hero/Heroine genre especially with the failing Fantastic Four and the original Spiderman Trilogy neatly wrapped up in their kitty.

Oh Boy! and Girl!

Marvel not only marveled at the art of churning first-grade movies but also excelled at the science of using the advanced and sophisticated softwares to produce entrancing and absorbing visuals that will definitely give Medusa a run for her money!

Exactly a decade after Iron Man was screened, Marvel is the undisputed leader and has a mighty strong grip like He-Man over the complete category that makes DC look like Thor being thoroughly rattled and squished by Thanos!

"Hey...Are you a Marvel Fanatic? The way you are lavishing praise on them, you seem like so"

If this question didn't pop up into your head like a bursting kernel of popcorn, please read the following reviews for your reference.

1) Wonder Woman

2) X-Men

Have you checked it out?

If you haven't, then you will never ever understand that I primarily love superhero/heroine films irrespective whether they originate from the creative juices of Marvel or DC. 

What Marvel has done fantastically (Read: Hindsight from an audience perspective) is that they have arranged the movies as a series of pieces on a chess board until every single one of them converge into the ultimate zugzwang against Thanos.

The level of planning and the far-sightedness that has been put into chiseling and shaping not only a single film but also by incorporating a continuation to the next and next and next for over 10 years is simply too good to be true, unimaginable and inconceivable considering a lot of factors like - audience fatigue or lack of interest or major scheduling and technical issues or actors/actresses dropping out from the project - that could have possibly and potentially crept in (sneakily or non-sneakily) while the Studio was giving birth to their astonishing babies one after the other.

But, it is true.

Marvel has achieved the impossible by regularly and continuously spawning out top-notch films that are not only well-received by ardent fans, fans, neutrals, and non-fans but also equally high on the received dollar value as well. 

Unless the Studio gives a carte blanche latitude and unlimited elbow room for filmmakers, it's next to impossible to even write scripts for Logan or DeadPool leave aside directing them.

That's the strength of Marvel when compared to DC.

They invest a tremendous amount of time and effort to lay down all their nuts and bolts with their vision, Not the Avenger!, to wow us not once or twice or thrice but repeatedly till the Black Panther.

It really takes a special superhuman effort to implement such a large-scale plan of action into actual action to successfully bring it to fruition in terms of Revenues & Reviews and not merely as an idle Relax & Recreation entertainment.

Marvel has this terrific knack of making people wait for their movies by smacking their lips with great anticipation.

It's not that DC doesn't provide it.

But, they spectacularly fail to deliver as in Suicide Squad or Justice League.

They raise the viewers' temperatures as hot as the core of the Earth through their teasers and trailers.

Sadly, the thermometer plummets suddenly and quickly when the actual film hits the screen. 

Fortunately, Marvel has mastered in their execution.

That's why I said earlier "art of churning first-grade movies".

The bunch of people sitting in Marvel are literally hungry and wanting to push themselves to the limits whenever they launch a new venture.

This - This degree of learning from past failures and be in tune with the trends is what keeps them heads and shoulders, not the shampoo!, above DC.

Of course, even Marvel has their own set of flaws.

Like following a standard template when a movie runs well.

Yes. No one would want to disturb the rhythm if it performed exceedingly superb at the BO.

However,  from the audience standpoint who always expects more or new things and when additional creative compositions aren't involved in the script or VFX, the movie merely becomes a mechanical chore of the earlier version. 

For instance - GotG 2 followed a similar narration to GotG 1. 

But, what didn't make it a dingy affair is the fact that it had loads of new elements to complement the basic narrative structure.

This is precisely why I used "degree of learning from past failures and be in tune with the trends" in one of the previous paras.

"Where the hell is Avengers: Infinity War in this write-up?"

There is something called Part 2.

You Know.

Much like Avengers: Infinity Wars 2.

                                                           X---To Be Concluded---X

Maggi - The Mage of Mages - Part 3

Would you sit or stand still as a statue if your close-to-heart celebrity or event is happening in your home place? 

Of course - It depends on multitudes of factors like the timing, cost, your freeness of commitment etc. unless and until you are such a die-hard fan that you give your eyeteeth for it to be a must-be-present active part in such a setting.

If my memory serves right, there was a Maggi Cafe - that was not the name of the shop - in Anna Nagar which was present a few years back.

Needless to say that I was one amongst the many who was like a dog with two tails by being loyal to Maggi.

And now, we are in 2018.

Time flies at a speed like a Peregrine Falcon swooping down on its prey in one fell swoop.

I am not certain whether that outlet still is out there but a new one has opened in Chennai - Maggevala.

Yep.

You read it right.

Maggi with an '"e".

Maybe, Numerology?

Who cares as long as they don't spoil Maggi's name, pun definitely intended.

Just like the over-eager person who loved to catch a glimpse of their apotheosized star, I went ahead to grab a bite at this place.

It was cozy and quaint.

And, colorful.

Placing the order at the counter, I cushioned myself into a low-seated chair.

Unfortunately, all the chairs were of that type.

People with intense and severe back or knee-problems will face a serious predicament and might think twice before they actually sat to treat themselves to their endearing relation with Maggi.

Within less than 900 seconds, I was served a cold Chikoo-Chocolate Milk Shake with Mexican Fries and Maggi Italiano (MI).

The MI - nope, not Mission Impossible! - was creamy and cheesy with lots of oregano seasonings to give it a perfect "cream rises to the top" tag.

That tag was given by me as it tasted heaven.

Don't believe me?

You can try it out yourself.

But, if it's not good, then the prep on your day had turned turtle.

On the day I dined in, my MI - why should I talk about Mumbai Indians here! - was in ship-shape condition.

The Mexican Fries was Okayish with Chikoo Chocolate as an aperitif.

I have no idea whether it's good or bad in relation to others as it's the first time ever I had sipped my way into the drink.

But, as a whole shake, it tasted decent as you could feel the blend of the chill Chikko and Chocolate make their progress from the straw and into the mouth by the physics of capillary action.

There were aplenty varieties of Maggi in different shapes and sizes like Chilli Garlic, Pizza, Bruschetta, Schezwan etc.

If you go as a gang of 8 to 10, then it's possible to try out all the possibilities in one sitting.

As long as no one in your group is like Joey!

"Joey doesn't share food", remember?

In the end, Maggi is the magician which JK Rowling didn't invent in her many-language-translated and best-selling Harry Potter but created in the labs by Nestle and introduced in the year 1983 for our country.

Even 'Avada Kedavra' will love and breathe fresh life in this Maggic!

And, that's why I regard it to be the Mage of Mages.

Oh. By the way.

That was a deliberate wicked pun - MAGGIC - from my end.


                                                       X---Concluded---X


PS:

He he he...If you are still persistently absorbing as to how Maggi is remotely related to Brain,

Well,

First up - Our Brains look like noodles with all the gaps in between with our neural networks.

Second - As stated in Part 1 and Part 2, when we have our emotions, feeling, moods and thoughts somehow originating in our brain which controls our behavior, action, perception, cognition, and conation, isn't it imperative that we learn how our brains work to have mastery over it rather than the other way around?

And, I don't have to tell again that I told you earlier itself that I knew exactly where I would be spelling out the subject in question which began in Part 1.

Maggi - The Mage of Mages - Part 2

Have you ever had a midnight hunger breakdown and resorted to sleepily getting up and wonder how to manage the deep growling and gnawing rats in your soft stomach?

You switch on the light(s) without making much noise so that you don't disturb others - family, friends, relatives or any of the combination of the three - who are sleeping. 

Rummaging the kitchen like a quiet mouse looking for food, you are crestfallen that there is absolutely nothing at that very moment. 

Bad luck at its summit of the worst!

Then, dragging your feet like a child who doesn't like things but forced to do, you decide to retire to bed when a gentle thought strolls into your head which puts you in an exhilarating state of nervous anticipation. 

Hurriedly, you scamper to that nearest blue Tupperware. 

And, the most beautiful thing awaits by smiling and welcoming you with a yellow color.

5 minutes later, you have a big and deep suspiration that your eternal friend always has your back, okay stomach!, when things are looking terribly down in the dumps.

The comrade thy name is - of course, you guessed it right - you are wicked smart - MAGGI.

Such a situation hadn't happened in your life?? - either during school when you were a night owl or hostel life in colleges or watching your favorite sitcom & movie in the night and just wanted to munch something tasty and hot or the skipping rats in your tummy woke you up because you are really hungry while sleeping.

Yeah. The smile on your face says it all.

Au Contraire, I am positive that you have had even more fascinating MA - not the god damn degree! - but Maggi Adventures with your loved ones which you would remember with much and such delish relish and savored gusto that it's like JLaw Space Bungee Jumping in the 'Passengers'.

There's nothing you can probably hate or dislike about this soulful and sinful companion.

Even the Maggi Masala is just right for your palate and olfactory to get high.

If you haven't greedily eaten the pinchful of the Taste Maker before emptying its contents while cooking, then what are you still reading this for?

You should do it immediately.

Shoo. Shoo. 

If you truly taste it every time, just wait for a few minutes before the rest also get that specific exciting feel of salt and spices which would make it their instant favorite that they will cherish forever.

Now, we can continue ahead like the cooking hard noodles turning into a liquid soup before materializing into the It - not the clown - but your incredibly possessive Maggi-It that makes you squeal with delight like a first-time kid in Disney Land.

But, when reports surfaced that Maggi had lead content mushroomed and quickly escalated into a total lockdown in their sales, it was as painful as your toenail being broken into pieces by a stone or the wall and you scream in agony.

Only, in this case, it's on an emotional layer which hurts considerably more and longer. 

I am not defending those who involved in such practices. 

A wrong is a wrong no matter who does it and as an individual, we should be able to discriminate between right and wrong howmuchever you like or love or admire or adore a person/thing/place/event.

When you let your emotions - positive or negative - color your thinking process, the actual reality is distorted beyond description and comprehension.

Emotions getting the better of you?

What did I say in Part 1 about overriding of situations on us? That I will explicitly let you know why I brought in the topic of Brain when the topic reads as 'Maggi'.

Patience - The time is not right now as we have other important things to discuss here before I let the cat out of the bag.

So, the difference between reality and actual reality is: 

It will be like you would live your entire life falsely thinking that a person with no driving experience is driving the car in a Driver's school when it's really the instructor who is in charge of the automobile.

Or, at least, in the beginning stages when the instructor has full eyesight over the proceedings till the student picks up steam, Okay! Petrol/Diesel/Electric!!, in his/her driving lessons.

Returning to the lead content in Maggi which made us (Read: Me) to touch upon the insightful distinguishing between reality and actual reality, 

Thankfully, corrective actions were taken and MAs - not Maggi Adventures this time! - but Maggi Aficionados could resume their fork-turning twirls with their beloved.

And, Yes.

It was a particularly harsh time when you had to scour for other alternatives like Top Ramen, Yipee etc. when Maggi magically disappeared from the shop shelves in a jiffy.

Tough moments. Those were. Indeed.

Cup Noodles might have come to the rescue like a hero saving the heroine.

No offense to other manufacturers like Top Ramen etc.

They are good in their own unique way.

However, Rolls-Royce is Rolls-Royce, right? 

Whatever it may seem - Lead or no lead - Maggi has always been an intrinsic and indispensable part of not only your life but also my life as well right from childhood. 

Who can forget how they attracted us by giving free Maggi packets at schools or sponsoring for Quiz Competitions by presenting big packs as prizes.

To ban Maggi was to set fire and ablaze those wonderful yummy memories to blackened charcoal and ash. 

Maggi is not only the elixir of life but also the savior of Kali Yuga for those ppl who despised their hostel food and had great fun to prepare it in their hostels with their lovable friends particularly without the knowledge of the hostel wardens when the rules strictly dictate that electric cookers are prohibited.

That thrill..that highly strung excitement of not getting caught and paying the fine...the joy and the surge of electrifying positivity of escaping the messy mess food....lead or no lead...that small Rs 10 pack was more than that to me and to all those who feel the same about it.

PRICELESS.

Maggi is not just some noodles. 

It is an emotion.

And, this is exactly how Marketers should tap into the episodic memory of customers through their semantic and procedural memory to have a better connect with them that transcends beyond a single-time transaction but constantly and continuously leads to full-time involvement with their brands.

                                                          X---To Be Concluded---X

Maggi - The Mage of Mages - Part 1

Brain - The one thing you don't use when you are in love and the one thing that's utilized when you shouldn't.

Using the avant-garde technological innovations and intensive R&D, we have, are and will be exploring the remote corners of Space to gain a deeper understanding of the ever-expanding space around us not only for the repository of knowledge about the Universe and our place in it but also as our survival fundamentally and intrinsically hinges upon it.

As of now, we know more about the vast expanse and broad horizons of the violent, quiet, humming, darkened and brightened Space than what we are aware of our own oceans. Extending it further, there is sufficient knowledge of how Oceans work like the Thermohaline Circulation or the first-ever expedition to the bottom of Antarctica than our mysterious and secrets-withholding brains which make our brain wrapped around it.

And they also say that women's brains are more complex than the already existing complex extent of the degree to which our noggins operate thus it gives us an additional opportunity and curiosity to fiddle and tamper to discover more about one of the most important parts of our body - Not only to gain data and information but also by putting it into practical effect , we can solve mental and psychological issues more effectively with or without medications.

It's like rash driving is perceived as a serious danger and poses a grave risk to other riders and passersby. But, when you are consciously in control of your rash driving by factoring in that your ride wouldn't harm anyone in the process, then it doesn't become reckless. From the rider's POV.

Still, from an outsider's POV, they will falsely think that such a consciously controlled rash driving is a potential threat to their lives as they have been tightly tuned in to such a frequency of quick thinking and mental shortcuts without understanding the basic and essential fact that even an ordinary, rule-abiding and normal speed-limiting drive can cause accidents - minor or major or critical - even though the probability of occurrence is relatively less.

In fact, the extreme thrill of sky-diving where you hurtle towards the ground upon reaching the terminal velocity is actually safer than the vehicles on the road.

This is precisely why we need to have more control of our stationary brain and non-stationary mind. Unless we don't supremely reign it to the pinnacle of its existence, there is a pretty good chance that they will override us by default and automatically to the point our conscious self is pushed into chasms of sub-conscious and our sub-conscious even further like the Limbo in "Inception".

How does it matter if conscious become sub-conscious?

Free will. 

You can pronounce a detailed exposition on free will but in reality, you will not be in complete control of your life if your conscious changes to sub-conscious by letting in situations, events, people, things, heuristics etc to take dominance over you.

Some of you could possibly have a fantastic thought in mind as "we are totally in the know that external factors are governing us".

There are two ways to look at it.

One - It's great that you are aware and not meekly submit to it like Theon Greyjoy from the Game of Thrones. 

For the fact - he was also having the comprehension that he was being dragooned, humiliated and suppressed by the Bolton!

Two - You are not consciously dictating terms to the outside world but rather it's the other way around. 

By saying this, I am not stating directly or indirectly that everyone should become a dictator or an oppressor in their lives on their life or on others life or both.

All it needs is the realization and non-attached attachment.

Dude. The title reads "Maggi" and you are talking about esoteric and unfathomable subjects that zip pasts our heads like a swooshing bird.

In case you didn't have this question in your mind, I will still answer it.

In Part 2.

Or Part 3. 

Wherever the subject crops up.

Though I know exactly where the subject in question is bound to happen!

                                                        X---To Be Concluded---X

Black Panther: Prowling & Growling its way to Stupendous Success

What does the creative team on the MCU table have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

It's a rhetorical question that is solely based on the solid fact of great consistency with which these guys, and girls!, deliver one movie after another at a remarkable rate of churning out high-quality films again and again.

It just shows the level of seriousness as to how they put their shoulder to the wheel to make their audience go bonkers on their new release and at the same time, create an insane magnitude of expectation for the next.

This is the case with Black Panther (BP) as well.

Though its successor has already sky-rocketing anticipation as it's none other than the InfinityWars (IW).

But, what BP has done is to give a more enormous thrust to the existing hype and hoopla surrounding IW that it will at least take a light year for Elon Musk's Red Tesla to even catch a faint glimpse at the monstrously accelerating and expanding growth for IW.

So,  it begs the all-important question.

Is BP really THAT good?

First up.

Though BP is the protagonist, the real heroes are the women folks in the movie.

Be it Nakia or Okoye or Shuri - they sizzled on the screen with their presence and acting performances to the extent that it almost eclipsed - Ney! narrowly eclipsed - the titular character in the process.

The action sequence in South Korea is a testimony to the wondrous amalgam of technology and stunts that left the viewers (Read: Me) dazzled and uniquely reminiscent of Wonder Woman and Atomic Blonde kinda daredevilry by them.

Speaking of the tech aspects showcased, it was a one-of-a-kind imagination especially the scene where Dr. Watson - Oops! - Martin Freeman was lying down on his back and Shuri used her gizmo to diagnose his ailment on his spine to pinpoint the location of the injury.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if we had such a Medical Miracle in our real life that assesses and gives us the severity spontaneously than making us go to great pains, pun intended, in moving from MRI to X-Ray facilities for getting the reports of our medical condition?

As we are on the topic of the condition, the setting of the Wakanda Empire was straight out of a hi-tech alien settlement in either a Parallel Universe or somewhere in the Universe now. 

The raw power of Vibranium and most importantly, the extra hours put in by the CGI team for creating the landscapes and cityscapes of Wakanda that ran by harnessing its potency and bringing it alive was spectacularly seen instead of merely saying as a dialogue "Ours is a technologically superior country".

The 'How' factor to substantiate this dialogue was well-brought out by the VFX team who I am sure would have burnt their midnight oil.

Chadwick as the BP was superb excepting those singular moments during the intense emotional scenes where he was forcing and laboring himself to be one instead of naturally playing out in the context of the scene. His signature backflips were a delight though the story was as old as a dinosaur and seemed to drag more than what it should have been particularly in the second half.

But, the dinosaur was presented in a visually appealing way.

Likewise, when compared to the other Marvel films like Dead Pool, GotG, Ant-Man, Avengers etc., the humor element was a bit restrained. 

Given that the BP was a serious character and not as livelier as the other superheroes, it makes sense. 

Still, BP isn't the only character, right? 

Considering all the rave reviews that were deluging BP prior to its release, I personally felt that the new flick from Marvel's stables could have been a lot better.

By saying this, I am not saying that it was bad.

It was good and captured the African spirit interbraiding with the wonder of technology.

Yep.

Good and not certainly the Best.

PS:

My personal favo was the nonchalant response which the Jabari gives when BP and his fam engaged in a long and mawkish verbal discussion by standing in his palace. It was a howler of a scene.